


Pretty Tough

by indanandphil (hcneylesbian)



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Angst, BAMF Phil Lester, Banter, Bants, Death, Drama, Flirting, Fluff, M/M, Model, Model Dan Howell, Modeling, Mystery, Phandom - Freeform, Romance, Sad Phil Lester, Secret Agent, Slow Burn, Spy - Freeform, Violence, idk i've been writing this for a year i hope it's alright, mad bantz, pure friendships, romantic plot, secret agents, sex mention, smut warning, special agent
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-05
Updated: 2017-03-28
Packaged: 2018-06-06 11:21:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 37,213
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6751906
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hcneylesbian/pseuds/indanandphil
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Phil’s a special agent. Dan's a model. Under normal circumanstances, they would never collide. But one day, Phil gets the model in trouble and has to keep him safe.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Dan sat in the driver’s seat of his car, his feet kicked up on the dash, parked down the road from a near-stranger’s house. He tapped the back of his phone, waiting for his best friend, Louise, to answer.

“Hello?” she sounded groggy. Dan felt a bad for waking her up despite her constantly reminding him that it was okay to call anytime.

“Hey, Lou.”

“How’d it go? Was he nice about everything? Are you alright?” Louise seemed to automatically perk up. Must be her motherly instincts, he thought.

“It was fine, I guess. He makes it hard to only know him for sex, he’s so gentle. I feel like if he’s going to be that slow, I might as well know his sweet personality.”

“It’s better than being too rough, though,” Louise thought out loud.

“It’s boring." Dan sighed. "At least I have some extra cash now?” He was sort of asking Louise for validation in that statement.

“Do you need to stay the night here?”

“No, I have to run into work, and then I’m going back to my place. Sorry for waking you up.”

“That’s fine, just-”

Dan didn’t hear the rest of what Louise said, as someone jumped into the passenger’s seat-Dan had left the door unlocked, fuck-and shouted, “Drive!” This someone then turned and glanced out the back window.

“Who’s tha-?” Louise started.

“I’ll call you back later. Love you.” Dan threw the phone down and moved his feet to the bottom of the car, starting it up and beginning to drive.

The stranger was fidgeting slightly in the seat beside Dan. His leg was jittery and he was playing with his hands. Dan noticed something though, at a quick glance.

“Put your seat belt on,” Dan said in a breath.

The stranger whipped his head over to look at him. “Excuse me?”

Dan spoke up this time. “Put your seat belt on.”

He looked over at the person next to him. A man, probably close to thirty, with floppy black hair and glossy blue eyes was glaring at him.

The man shook his head and muttered a few things under his breath, pulling his seat belt on.

Dan rolled his eyes at the man. “Now just who the hell even are you?” he asked, as he was checking out the window again.

“Make a left turn here-sharp. My name’s Phil,” the man rattled on, then he started cursing under his breath.

“Okay Phil, why are you in my car?” Dan tapped on the steering wheel.

Phil sighed. “Where are you headed?”

“Could you not?”

“What?”

“Answer my question with a question! I’ll answer yours when you answer mine.”

“I don’t have time for this immature game, alright? Where are you headed?”

Phil sounded menacing, but he was just pissing Dan off. He still prompted, “Why are you in my car?”

“A shot went off back there! Okay?” Phil’s eyes were flaring. “Excuse me for not wanting to be a part of that. So get a move on and tell me where we’re going!”

Dan instantly seemed to shrink back into a shell. He felt like an absolute fucking idiot. “My job.”

Phil nodded and stared out the window. He seemed more relaxed, so Dan hoped that meant well. “Where do you work?”

“A modeling agency.”

Dan felt eyes on him before he heard Phil speak again. “Yeah, I can see that.”

Dan huffed. He wasn't sure why this strange 'Phil' guy was in his car, and he didn't know why he was being so uncommunicative. He figured that he had all the right to know what Phil needed to do, since he was now a part of it. Phil didn't seem to think so. He just sat in the other seat and didn't talk until Dan did. It frustrated Dan almost to the point of crying-he did that a lot. He took a few deep breaths.

"Hey-what's your name?" Phil inquired.

"Dan," he told him.

"Okay, well Dan, you can calm down. They're not following us." Phil was leaning against the window now. He closed his eyes.

"It's not that."

"What?"

Dan shook his head. "Never mind. We're here."

He stepped out from his car and waited for Phil to do the same, shivering in the cold, before he locked it. He now got a full glimpse at Phil, who was tall-taller than Dan, which was saying something. He wore all black and had his hood up, with a hat on underneath.

"You ready?" Phil asked with an underlying tone of irritation.

"Yeah," Dan said, "Just go along with what I say, okay? No matter how stupid, it'll get us through some people to what I really need to do."

Phil looked like he was going to ask a question, so Dan turned on his heel and beckoned for him to follow. He wasn't ready for any more questions. He had other things to think about right then than some odd stranger. The other man jogged to keep up with him.

They walked into the building. Dan showed his identification to someone and led Phil down a hallway where he knocked on a door.

An assertive-looking woman appeared in the doorway. She immediately took in the sight of Phil, to whom she raised a well-done eyebrow. "Who's this, Dan?"

"This is Ph-"

"Why is he here, is what I should be asking." She kept trailing her eyes up and down Phil's body.

"We were hanging out for a while, and he was going to go home, but then his car was broken into and I had no time to drop him off anywhere." Dan bit his lip, knowing that was honestly the worst lie he'd ever come up with. It was on the spot.

The woman rolled her eyes, and pulled out a clipboard. "Alright, Mr. Howell. Go up to the third floor, room 317. Find Mr. Donnell. He'll tell you precisely what you'll be working on." She turned away. "I'm sure you can find an extra chair for your companion." After that, she slammed the door.

"Thanks Mrs. White!" Dan called. He turned to Phil. "She still dislikes me. I'm sure you're helping." He winced. "Not that yo-"

"I understand what you meant, Dan," Phil lulled monotonously.

"I actually think she liked you." He pressed elevator button to go up.

Phil smirked. "I have that sort of charm."

Dan shook his head. "You're not that charming. She just wants you to model for something, probably." He heard Phil chuckling behind him as he stepped into the elevator. He decided to keep going. "Wow Phil, you have an emotion besides pissed off!"

Phil narrowed his eyes. "I haven't been pissed, Mr. Howell. Just distracted."

"Now you're _defensive_."

"Oh, shut it." Phil had a ghost of a smile laced on his face. Dan felt successful that way.

They stepped out of the elevator on floor three, and set out to find Mr. Donnell. Dan turned three different corners before he found the man he was looking for.

Mr. Donnell smiled upon Dan's arrival at his door. "Mr. Howell! Nice to meet you."

"You too, Mr. Donnell." Dan put on his most charming smile. "This is my friend Phil, I'm sorry he's here, it was an emergency."

Mr. Donnell looked at the man Dan referred to, and nodded. "That's alright, I hope everything's okay. He can sit off to the side." Mr. Donnell straightened some papers in his hand. "For tonight, we just want to take a few photos for that spring collection we were discussing, okay? Just to get an idea of what we're working with, and then fill out some papers. Shall we get started?"

Dan sat in hair and makeup for about fifteen minutes, far shorter than normal. They only wanted to plan out what they would do for the shoot, so it wasn't necessary for Dan to be positively immaculate. Once he was done, he was led to a familiar-seeming room, surrounded with white paper.

Directions were thrown Dan's way on how to pose, what faces to make, but honestly, they weren't needed. He knew what he was doing. He went from pouting to smiling, standing to sitting, etc etc. Dan glanced at what Phil was doing some of the time, curious as to whether he was watching. He was fiddling with his phone a lot of the time. But when Dan glanced over when he was posing while leaning on a wall, he noticed Phil was observing. He met Dan's eyes for a moment then went back to his phone.

Mr. Donnell approached Dan, and pulled him into his office, but asked Phil to wait outside. Dan had to fill out some information about himself and a few other documents. He had to sign a lot of papers that Mr. Donnell talked him through. Once he was finished, he exited the office and said goodbye, promising to meet with Mr. Donnell again later that week for the proper shoot. He met Phil outside, who stood once he heard the door, staring at his phone.

He looked distraught for a moment. Then he closed his eyes, shoved his phone in his pocket, and asked Dan to hurry up. "I have to tell you something."

What could he possibly need to talk about with Dan? They had just met, and they weren't exactly immediate best friends or anything. He led the way out the front door. They got in the car and Phil started talking.

"Listen Dan. I was running from some guys who we-I'll explain," Phil raised a finger to Dan to hush him up. "I was running from some guys who I have evidence to believe are involved in a gang murder."

Dan's eyes bugged open. "What? Alright, thanks for letting me know, who exactly is we? Why are you telling me? Oh my god."

"I work with a special agency, I'll have to explain later, it's more important to get you home. I'm sorry Dan, it's just that you're involved now. They couldn't see exactly what I looked like since I was in all black and everything, but they saw you apparently. They saw the driver." Phil shook his head, forcing his forehead into his palms.

Dan took a moment to comprehend that. He was involved now. "How do you know?"

Phil looked back up at him with a tired, mopey expression. He looked like he hadn't slept in about a week. "Some other colleagues say they heard them shouting about some guy who fit your looks. They mentioned the guy who was driving. So they told my boss, who contacted me about it. I'm in a little bit of trouble." He grimaced miserably. "I'm really sorry."

He nodded at Phil's words, not quite figuring out how to react. "Okay." He kept nodding. "Right. Well, where do you live? I'll drop you off." He turned towards the road, his hands on the wheel.

"Dan."

"Yeah."

"You're going to be involved now. Which means you have to be careful." Dan was staring out the window. "You're going to have to come to my work place now, okay? They need to see you tomorrow."

Dan shook his head. "Right."

Phil sighed. "Start driving, take a right up there." He continued with directions while Dan kept driving.

Dan just kept thinking, turning Phil's words over in his head. It seemed unrealistic, what was going on. He couldn't be pulled into a gang murder crime, right? That was too out of sorts. He glanced out the window at some stops. He listened to the music that was on the radio very quietly, looked at everything covered in a mix of moonlight and city lights. Tears formed on his face, and he tried to bite them back. He didn't want to look so small in front of Phil.

They arrived at Phil's block, and Dan parked in front of the building.

"Farewell, then," Dan muttered. Phil got out of the car.

"I need to tell you a few things." Phil shifted the small bag he had on his shoulder, and leaned forward, resting his arms on Dan's window. Dan pulled back a little, slightly intimidated by Phil being so close.

"Shoot."

"First off, the car that these people were driving is a 2000 Toyota Corolla, in a dark blue color. Be wary if you see that." Phil paused, so Dan nodded, and he continued. "Drive around a bit before you head home, okay? In case they're following you, you can throw them off track. Lock all the doors and windows when you get home. If you feel unsafe, get someone to come over with you. In fact..."

Phil pulled out a notepad and pen from his bag. He scribbled something down and handed it to Dan. "Here. I wrote down my number, so you can ask for directions tomorrow. The work phone is for if you want to call someone to stay with you from there. Though I'm sure you'd prefer a friend, they might be able to protect you better. Either way, if you're living alone, it might be nice to get someone with you for tonight."

"Sure. Thanks Phil." Dan flashed a meek smile before starting up the car again. "Do you want my number?"

"Yes please. I'll call you tomorrow in case you forget."

"I won't." Dan finished writing his number and handed it to Phil. "Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow then."

"See you." Phil turned and walked to his house, and Dan stayed to watch him get in. Just to make sure. Then he turned and drove away.

 

Once Dan got back to his apartment, he sat down on his old couch. He knew he needed to call Louise back, but he didn't know how to explain what happened.

He dialed the number. She picked up with a ring. "Yes, Dan? Hello?"

"Hey, Lou. Have you stayed awake this whole time?" He asked, though he already knew the answer.

"You know that I have. What happened earlier? Are you alright?"

"I'm...alright. A guy jumped into my car-"

"Was he cute?"

"Louise, please. Anyways, I just took him to work with me and dropped him at home. He was running away from some people."

She was quiet for a moment. "You promise you're alright?"

"I'm fine." He hated lying through his teeth.

"Okay, well then I'm going to head to bed-and you should too! At least soon. Good night, Dan."

"Night, Lou."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't get time to completely proofread this, so I hope there's not a lot of typos!

Dan rolled around in bed, hardly able to sleep. He kept having visions of flashing lights, a shouting stranger. Streaks of blue, a window covered with rain drops. A gunshot. Something buzzing, constantly ringing...

He woke up panting, hearing his phone go off. It was, luckily, just his alarm. He wiped his face and sat up slowly. He hadn't washed his makeup off. Dan jumped up and ran to the bathroom, eager to get everything off his face. He wanted to shower, wash everything off, ignore his problems for a while.

 

Phil paced around his office. He came into work early to talk to his boss, but she wasn't there yet. The memory of the night before had played literally all night-Phil didn't sleep. It felt awful; he hadn't wanted to get anyone innocent involved. He loaded his coffee with sugar to make it through the day.

His boss, Ms. Trinket was angry enough with him. When she called, he hadn't expected to hear that he'd fucked up so badly. He thought that they may have a lead or something as to wear these thugs were hiding-they weren't hiding in that moment.

Ms. Trinket strode through the door, interrupting Phil's thoughts, and invited him to follow her to her office.

"Philip." She folded her arms.

"Yes _ma'am_." Phil turned to her.

"You know that there are consequences to what you have done, yes?"

"Yes."

"That we cannot get innocent civilians involved in crimes like this?"

Phil held eye contact. "Indeed."

She leaned back against her desk, one eyebrow raised at him. "Good. Now it's your job to make sure he's safe." After a breath, she continued. "We're keeping an eye on you now, Mr. Lester." She hung forward. "I don't wish to see you leave so soon."

Phil gulped. Normally, he might make a comment like, "Neither do I"-he thought it, but now wasn't the time. "Yes ma'am."

"Go. Get him here."

 

Phil called the number Dan provided him with at least four times until he finally answered.

"Yes?" he hissed upon answering.

"You're supposed to come in today, Mr. Howell," Phil droned. "Are you ready for directions?"

"Give me just a-moment." After a minute of sounds of banging, a crash, and quiet cursing, he said, "Yeah, go."

After they hung up, Phil waited at the door for Dan to come in. When he saw the familiar face, he opened the door.

"Hey Phil," Dan chirped. "What am I doing here today?"

He closed the door and followed to where Phil was beckoning.

"Probably you'll just be questioned. You'll meet some people, too." Phil stopped in a wide open space filled with computers. "This is our main work room, where we do office work unless we're out."

Just then, Ms. Trinket came strolling from her office to the right of them. "Why hello, Mr. Howell." She extended her hand. Dan took it. "Pleasure to meet you, and we're ever so sorry about what has been brought upon your life. We intend to do everything we can to fix it."

"That's alright," Dan answered with a bright smile. He then dropped the handshake. "Pleasure to meet you as well Miss...?"

"Ms. Trinket," she nodded.

"Really? What a lovely name."

Phil almost rolled his eyes at their overwhelming politeness.

"Phil!" His boss caught his attention sharply. "We have a lot to discuss today, don't we? Firstly, your colleagues say that-"

A gasp from Dan interrupted her, followed by him dropping to the floor.

"Who is this?" he cooed, picking up the soft cat at his feet.

Phil's face twitched into a smile. "That's our office cat, Winnie. He's here mostly to relieve stress from patients who've gone through a lot of trauma."

He kept his eyes on Dan, who was swaddling the cat cutely. It was better than Ms. Trinket, who hated the cat. 'Too much hassle.'

"Winnie, like, the Pooh?" Dan asked excitedly. "I loved that bear."

Phil shook his head. "It's short for Winston. I named him." Though he looked to make eye contact with his boss, he still spoke to Dan. "He really seems to like you."

The other man giggled as the silky gray cat crawled on his lap. "I'm pretty good with cats."

"The cat whisperer," Ms. Trinket crooned. Less of a croon, more of a mock.

"Kinda!"

Ms. Trinket glared down at the cat. Everyone knew how much she hated having him around; it seemed unnecessary to have him. When she looked back at Phil, who was now raising an eyebrow at her, she fixed her face into a smile.

"Well, Mr. Howell. You're going to have a busy, busy day." She pulled out a notepad. "First, I need you to just talk to a few different people about yourself. A little information. They'll explain everything. Alright? You'll be interviewed as well."

Dan bit his lip. "Is Phil coming with me?"

Ms. Trinket shook her head. Phil looked at the floor.

"Can I take Winnie with me?" Dan pleaded softly.

Ms. Trinket repeated her action. "No-"

"Yes, Dan. Take him," Phil interrupted. Ms. Trinket stared at him, alarmed. "After all," he reasoned, more with his boss than Dan, "he is here for trauma, or just plain comfort. I'll take you to where you need to go first."

As they started walking, Ms. Trinket grabbed Phil's arm. "Don't contradict me. Ever. Got that?" She released him from her sharp-nail-grip hell.

Phil looked forward and nodded, then tugged on Dan to follow him.

"What's her problem?" Dan asked, tripping slightly and clutching Winnie close.

The older man shook his head. "Dunno. She's my boss, though. Shouldn't say anything anyways."

"Sorry."

"You're fine."

They walked through some brightly lit halls, into a narrow corridor, and through what Dan seemed to think was the entire building.

"Are we done walking?" he whined. "Winnie's getting restless."

"In there." Phil pointed to a dim room. Dan followed with his eyes, then looked back at him slowly. "Stay calm. If you get nervous, just look at Winnie. I'll be out here when you're done."

Dan nodded and walked in slowly, and Phil waited until he heard people greeting him and the door closing. He sat outside of the door for a few minutes, and then got up to go to his work space. He was sure he could make it back in time to pick Dan up and take him where he needed to go. But when he stood, Ms. Trinket swooped in on him.

"Mr. Lester. Your behavior has been so incredibly out of order. You better shape up, mister, or else I'll fire you." She sneered as she looked at him. "First you go off and get poor Daniel involved, and then you sass me in front of him? How dare you?" Her eyes were on fire. "You better be exactly in line every time I see you, or else you're gone." Before she walked away, she looked him in the eye and said, "Don't make me want to fire you."

Phil just nodded and hardly responded the whole time. Great. Now he had the threat of being fired over his head. Just one more of many things.

"Hey," he heard a soft voice, and someone put a hand on his shoulder. He turned.

"Hey Hazel!"

She beamed. Despite the big debacle she had been in recently at work, she looked happy. Phil had worried about her, as she was such a close friend, and she had been injured badly. But she recovered well. Her hair was back to normal-she'd dyed it a flowing blond. Her eyes were back to being bright again. They'd lost their light for a while.

"Doesn't sound too good for you, Philip. She sounds pissed," Hazel chuckled.

With a roll of his eyes, Phil said, "I know. I made a mistake."

Hazel cocked her head. "What happened?"

"I accidentally put someone else in danger," and he nodded at her gasp. "I know. A bad one, huh?"

"Yes," Hazel agreed. She shook his shoulder. "But it wasn't entirely your fault. Remember that. Are they in there?" she nodded her head towards the door Dan had gone through.

"Yeah, he's in there."

"How's he seeming? Is he really mad at you?"

"No, I don't think so." Phil pressed his lips together. "Seems rather chirpy."

Hazel laughed, a full body laugh.

"What?"

"You just looked so mad when you said that!" Hazel breathed to try to calm down. "You were describing someone being happy, and you looked angry as all hell."

"You find the weirdest things funny, Hazel," Phil commented quietly.

She looked at him, almost like a mother would look at her son. "It's alright, babe. I'm glad he's not too upset with you."

Just then, Dan walked out of the room, Winnie following him at his heels. Phil turned to acknowledge him.

"Hello, Dan." Dan stared at him for a second, then glanced at Hazel and back. "Oh, this is my friend Hazel. We work together."

"Nice to meet you, Dan. Short for Daniel?" Hazel asked, holding her hand out.

Dan nodded. "Yeah, that's it. I wish I could come up with something for Hazel."

"She just likes to call people by their full names, for some reason."

Hazel slapped Phil's arm. "Anyways, nice to meet you Dan."

"I have to take him to Jack now," Phil told her in a teasing tone.

A look of fondness crossed her eyes. "Oh, good. That's a good part of your day. Well, it was nice seeing you Phil-and nice meeting you, Daniel." She bowed slightly and walked into another doorway.

"She seems nice," Dan commented.

"She is. Very sweet." Phil led Dan through another series of hallways and rooms. "How was your meeting?"

Dan shrugged. "Fine. They just asked me a lot about myself, which I guess was fun."

Phil chuckled and rolled his eyes. "Sounds like it." He stopped in front of a large wooden door and knocked.

A man came out with a somewhat pointed face and glasses. Jack. He was holding a clipboard. "Hi Phil, is this the man you got in trouble?" He didn't sound mad, just teasing.

Phil closed his eyes for a few seconds to avoid rolling them. "Yeah, this is him. Jack, meet Dan."

They shook hands.

"Alright Dan, I'm just going to ask you about what happened, alright?" Jack flipped a paper on his clipboard. "And then you get a lunch break, you lucky dog. I have to wait another hour!"

"Jack, Hazel says hi," Dan said, changing the subject.

"Oh, how lovely," he responded, shifting his glasses.

"I'll see you later guys," Phil said. "Be nice." He called to Jack, who waved at him dismissively.

 

The interview with Jack was about an hour longer than the other one. Phil returned about ten minutes before they were done. When they were, Dan walked out, looking frazzled, but okay.

"Ready for lunch?" Phil inquired.

Dan nodded.

In the break room, Phil pulled out the lunch he had brought from the fridge. He handed Dan five dollars. "Here, sorry I forgot to mention lunch. Go get something from the vending machine."

"I have money, Phil."

Phil lifted his shoulders. "Well, there's mine, if you'd like something extra." He threw it on the table, so Dan huffed and took it.

He came back a minute later with a sandwich. "Thanks."

"You're welcome."

They sat in silence for a bit, seeing as they were both chewing, and neither seemed to want to say much. So Phil glanced up at Dan. He took a large bite out of his lunch and stared around the room, seemingly disinterested.

Phil cleared his throat. "How was your interview?"

"Not too bad," Dan shrugged. "It just made me realize the severity of this. It's kinda scary."

Phil swallowed his food, feeling like shit. "I'm sorry about that."

"Sorry won't exactly fix it, but I appreciate it."

"Right. Well, don't be afraid to ask for anything from now on. I'm here to help you," Phil quipped. He offered a small smile before looking back at the table.

"Okay."

 

A few hours later, Dan and Phil found themselves in the break room again. Dan was finished with everything for the day, and looked like he was ready to keel over from exhaustion. Or boredom. Phil couldn't tell.

"God, I'm ready to go home," Phil groaned. He put his head in his hands.

"Me too."

"Well, we can leave in about twenty minutes. You can probably leave earlier if you ask."

"Really? I might-"

Dan was cut off by Hazel storming through the room. "Pardon me, I just need to tell you," she took in a breath, "Dan. These people seem to have located your neighborhood. We haven't checked for hours, but we're sure they've probably figured out which house is yours by now."

Dan closed his eyes. He seemed to sink within himself. "Right."

Hazel was shaking, and she was biting her lip. Phil knew that she often cared too quickly about people, so she could just be extremely worried about Dan. Or she could be remembering what had happened to her.

She composed herself enough to talk without shakiness in her voice. "You need to be safe, Daniel. You can stay here if you'd like."

He shook his head. "If I stayed with someone, would they be in danger?"

"Not if you don't go back to your house first. And if you're kind of disguised," Phil answered.

"I'll be back in a second," Hazel croaked, then walked to the doorway. Jack was standing outside, so she slowly walked into his arms. The door closed, so Dan and Phil waited until she returned.

They both came in a moment later.

"Alright guys," Jack started.

"I can give you a ride, Dan," Hazel said. "Do you have somewhere in mind?"

"My friend Louise's. I'd just have to ask," he said, just above a whisper.

"Could you do that for us, Daniel?" Hazel asked, putting a hand on his.

He agreed to.

Dan walked into the bathroom that Phil pointed him to, and paced. He hadn't wanted to tell Louise because she didn't want to worry her. But now, he realized that was stupid. She should know, she deserved to know, since it was so serious, and she was so important in his life.

He dialed the number.

"Hello, Dan?"

"Hi Lou," he whimpered.

"What's up?"

"Okay, listen. So you know the thing I told you last night? About the guy?"

"Yes."

"So he jumped into my car because he was running away from a gang. And now they're stalking me I guess."

"Dan! Why didn't you tell me? Oh, never mind that. Are you okay? What's happening then?"

"Well, I'm alright right now. I'm at an agency thing, I had to be interviewed and stuff. Can I please stay with you? I guess they've found my house."

"Yes, Dan, of course. Come over whenever you need to, okay?"

"Alright. Thanks, Louise."

"We'll talk more later, then?"

"Sounds good."

"Goodbye."

"Bye."

He walked back out of the bathroom. Ms. Trinket had joined the crew, and a few people outside the doors were peeking in as they walked past to see what was up.

"I can stay at Louise's," he announced.

Hazel nodded. "I'll get my keys and coat. Stay here, babe." She left the room, followed by Jack.

"Can he leave now, then?" Phil asked Ms. Trinket, to clarify.

"I suppose," she confirmed. "While I think this is the safest place for him here, I'm sure he'd like to go back somewhere familiar. Right, Dan?"

Dan nodded awkwardly.

"Right then, there you go. We'll speak to you later, Mr. Howell." She left the room quickly.

Phil leaned on a table close to Dan. "Well Dan, I hope you get to your friend's safely."

Dan glanced away and nodded.

"Sorry." Phil sighed. "Have a good night, Dan. I'll see you soon."

And then there was one.

Until Hazel and Jack came back. "Ready to go?"

Dan sat up front with Hazel, and Jack sat in the backseat.

Dan gave directions to Louise's house. He wore a scarf around his throat, and tried to pull his hood over his eyes, in case anyone dangerous was around.

This entire ordeal became ten times more serious in his head. It was stressing him out. Now there were new people in his life who cared about him, and more than ever that wanted him dead. Which was a new prospect to wrap his head around. He just wanted to curl up into a ball for a while and sleep.

But he could wait to get to Louise's before he did that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked it! Please comment or smth if you did ;)


	3. Chapter 3

Dan had always looked up to Louise. She was always so similar to him in so many ways, and still had plenty of friends. For years, she was a person who was almost like a mother to him, while also being a best friend. She had become particularly motherly after having her own child; always making sure Dan was being careful, safe, and healthy. It made Dan roll his eyes most of the time.

But he really did appreciate her efforts. He knew that her own early life was rough, and her awful example of a stepmother was horrible to her, but she was always kind towards people. She was a single mother who lived in a lovely flat, and still managed to have plenty of fun in life. He didn't know how she managed, but it just made him love her even more. She had the best advice for him, and always listened to what he had to say. In his eyes, Louise was a completely fantastic human being.

And here they were, sitting in her (quite nice) living room in pajamas, pointless tv on a screen in front of them. He was borrowing a shirt of hers, however he had to go buy some new pants. He wasn't supposed to go back to his own house for a while, which posed a few issues. He didn't have much of his stuff on him, so he had to go buy more. It was a lucky thing that his job provided the clothes he needed for working.

"So let me get this straight," Louise said, taking a bite of ice cream. "This Phil guy literally jumped in your car and then boom-you're in trouble?"

Dan took a sip of tea. "Well, in short terms, yes."

"I'm just not sure I like him." Louise squinted in the distance despite having her glasses on.

"I don't know." Dan tapped his mug. "I don't think he's a bad guy, but I guess I don't like the thought that something bad could happen."

Louise motioned her hand to show they needed to be quieter, seeing as Darcy was in the same room. "But you're helping them now?"

"Somewhat."

"Well gosh Dan," Louise chuckled, but not in the friendliest way. "Maybe they'll pay you."

"I think they're going to anyways," Dan said, then chewed on his lip.

"They better," Louise said. She set her bowl down. "Or I'll personally fight them." Louise held her fists up and punched the air. "Square up, punk," she said to Dan.

Dan laughed, holding his arms up in a fake defense. "Ooh no, don't fight me."

Louise sat back, satisfied. "That's what I thought."

"I wouldn't want to hurt you."

"Oh really?"

A sigh came from the floor in front of the tv, followed by some evil eyes from Darcy.

Dan giggled. "Sorry, we'll be quieter," he whispered.

"But seriously Dan," Louise whispered. "I think they'd better do something. You can't even go to your house."

Dan set his tea on the coffee table, and rubbed his eyes. He knew this. It had been a struggle not going back to his own home. The whole ordeal was. He had to make sure that Louise and Darcy were safe as well as himself. Hazel and Phil always updated him, and so far, the gang hadn't found where he was staying. Apparently, they'd tried to break in to Dan's apartment, but the police showed up (at least he had good neighbors) so they scattered.

But he hated not going back to his own house. His own bed, his own things. He certainly didn't mind staying at Louise's house, but he definitely got that feeling that one gets when they're away from home for too long, and it almost seems like there's no reason why they should be. But there was, obviously.

"I know, Louise." He sighed. "I hate it."

Louise gave him a sad look, and scooted closer on the couch to lay her head on his shoulder. "Hey, it'll be alright, dear."

A knock on the door ruined the tender moment between the two.

"I'll get it." Louise stood and answered the door. Suddenly Dan heard a familiar voice accompanying Louise's.

"Hello, Daniel," came Hazel's voice from the doorway.

"Hi Hazel." He smiled politely, picking up his tea again, and shifting on the cushions.

"You can sit if you'd like," Louise offered, plopping back down in her very original spot.

Hazel sat in the section of the couch that connected two in an "L" shape. She had met Louise when she first dropped Dan off on the first day. Apparently, the two seemed to recognize each other, knowing each other possibly from an old school. Whatever it was, they got on rather well. "How are we doing?"

Dan shrugged. "As good as I can be, I guess."

Hazel pressed her lips together and nodded. "I feel you, babe. We're working on it." She straightened a few papers on her lap. "Well, I was asked to come check on you."

"Oh."

"Yeah, you need to come by the headquarters again soon. Jack needs to talk to you again, and I think Phil wanted to see you," Hazel said.

"Oh, really?" Dan asked, raising his eyebrows in a little shock. "Okay, well, will do."

He liked Hazel a lot, she was very friendly. She just reminded him that he had some worries in the world (besides the typical ones), and he couldn't fully relax with Louise.

"So far, the gang is leaving your place alone for now." She glanced at papers. "Normally around noon they have a few people walk around that look like them, and check up on it. But besides that, it's left alone."

"So can I go back?" Dan asked, probably too eagerly.

"Well..."

Darcy had gotten up and toddled over to Dan, tugging on his pant leg. She was closing her eyes and leaning on his leg quite a bit.

"You want me to get her Louise?" Dan asked.

"Go ahead. I can get the scoop from Hazel."

Dan nodded. "Come on, sweetheart." He lifted Darcy carefully and balanced her on his side, leaning down to get her blanket she had on the floor.

Dan was always good with kids. When Louise had Darcy, he could always get her to giggle before any other visitors. He also got to visit her the most, of course. They became quick buddies as she grew, since he was there most of the steps of the way. Now since he was staying with Louise, they decided to take turns getting her to bed. And while she may have preferred her mum, she certainly didn't seem to mind Dan.

Dan pulled back the blankets on her bed, and gently laid her down. Despite her pretending to sleep, she held on to his neck.

"Kiddo," he giggled, slowly removing her tiny arms. "You gotta go to bed."

Darcy huffed, trying to look up sadly at Dan.

"Would you like a bedtime story?"

Darcy nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah!"

So Dan walked over to a small bookshelf and held up books until she was pleased, then sat next to her and read. She seemed to love his reading-probably because of his very theatrical voices.

Once he was finished, he set the book down his lap. "Alright, time to go to bed. See you tomorrow?"

She nodded sleepily. "G'night."

"Good night sweetie." He stroked her hair, set the book back on the shelf, and crept out quietly.

Dan stopped in his tracks, hearing the women clearly whispering.

"There's just a lot of danger surrounding the entire situation, Louise. I'm concerned about him."

"I am too. Will he be okay?"

A pause. "Yeah, he'll be fine. We can protect him."

"I wish Phil hadn't gotten him involved."

"He's also the one protecting him the most so far."

Another pause. "Alright. As long as he's safe."

Dan leaned against the wall, processing the conversation. He grimaced. But he quickly smiled a bit, then walked into the room.

"Alright, Darcy's asleep now," he said.

"You read her a story?" Louise asked.

He nodded.

"That's sweet," Hazel commented. "Well, I should probably get going. It was nice seeing you two again. I'll let Phil know you're doing okay."

Dan nodded. "Thanks for stopping by. Tell him I say hey."

Hazel smiled and walked out.

"Everything okay?" Dan asked.

Louise sighed. "It's a bit dangerous, but you should be fine."

Dan nodded. At least she didn't really lie to him.

"Alright, well, good night Lou."

"Good night!" She came over and embraced him, then walked to her room.

Dan walked to the spare bedroom he was staying in. It was originally kind of a junk room, but Louise cleaned it so it as suitable for him to stay in, with a decent bed. He lay down, snuggling into his pillow, trying to relax. Things were playing at the back of his mind though. The situation is dangerous, Phil protecting him the most, Hazel concerned. He shook his head and flipped to his other side, actually resting until sleep came.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The comments so far have been very sweet, thank you! Let me know if you liked this chapter with a comment! (and/or some kudos ;))


	4. Chapter 4

Phil hadn't slept well for several weeks. He had been deprived before he pulled Dan into the murderous mess, and hadn't been able to properly sleep since. There was constantly stress, new concerns. It's not like it was anyone else's fault. All he could blame was himself.

Dan irritated him. Slightly. It was just how oddly preppy he was and the sass that was always presented, even when they first met. It probably had something to do with Phil's sleep deprivation. But it could also just be that he was irritating.

Despite the fact that he annoyed Phil, Phil wanted Dan safe. He was nice enough, and was rather easygoing about what happened to him even though he had every right to be a total asshole to Phil. He was a nice person, and Phil wanted him protected.

Thing was, he hadn't seen in about a week. All he had was reports from Hazel as to how he was, because Phil refused to go about his life without getting a little update as to how he was doing.

One night, Hazel came by his apartment with some usual information.

"Phil?"

He answered the door. "Hey Hazel, what's up?"

She stayed outside. "Phil, you should actually try to see him. I just can't keep going to Louise's house." Hazel looked up at him with pleading eyes. "I'm sure he wants to see you too."

"Hazel, I doubt that."

Hazel huffed, crossing her arms. "Even so, sweetheart, it's your responsibility to keep an eye on him. You know this."

Phil nodded, softening. "Okay, I'll call him tomorrow."

"Good job, babe. Maybe you can bring him back in?"

"Maybe." Phil shrugged.

"By the way, he's doing alright."

"Thanks." Phil smiled.

Hazel smiled and kissed his cheek, and they bid their goodbyes.

 

In the morning, Phil stared at the phone. He had no idea what time got up, and of course he was up extremely early that morning. But he waited a couple hours since then, and he figured he should just do this. He dialed the number.

"Hello?" Dan's slightly sleepy voice came after a couple rings. Phil didn't seem to find him as annoying.

"Hi Dan. How are you doing?" Phil asked, nervously scratching things onto a piece of paper.

"M'fine, you'd know if you came by at all," Dan said. Phil couldn't tell if he was more salty or teasing.

"Okay, _sassypants_ -" Phil paused as he heard a giggle from a small child, followed by Dan shushing softly, "I was wondering if we could meet today."

Dan paused. "For what?"

"Just check up, see how you're doing, I guess."

"Right, well, I did just tell you, but fine. I do have to go to work first, though."

"I'll meet you there, how about that?"

"Okay. See you then."

"What time?"

"Ehm," Dan pondered for a moment, "2:30."

"Okay. Well, see you then."

"See you." A click.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm sorry this is so short ahh! i just really wanted to write something tonight. also, thank you for 200 hits!! that's hella rad. okay, well, leave kudos/comment/etc if you're enjoying the story!


	5. Chapter 5

Phil parked in the parking lot at the agency he remembered being driven to, and waited for Dan. He was late, which Phil wasn't surprised about for some reason, so Phil was on his phone.

Fifteen minutes after he got there, there was a knocking at his door.

Phil peered up to see Dan. He took in a shocked breath, as Dan looked rather immaculate, with his makeup done and hair styled. He was squinting at Phil in the sunlight. After a moment, Phil rolled down the window.

Phil started with, "Hi."

Dan rolled his eyes. "Hi. Could you invite me into your car, please?"

"How'd you get here?"

"I had a ride."

Phil nodded. "Yeah, get in."

Dan got into the passenger seat, pulled his own phone out, and crossed his legs.

"Seatbelt, Dan."

Dan looked up, with the most sarcastically humored face Phil had seen his all his years. "You are certainly one to talk, mister."

"Hey," Phil defended, "I have mine on."

Dan kept his eyebrows raised, but he put the seatbelt on and let his eyes fall back to his phone.

"Phil."

"Yeah?"

Dan looked like he was keeping a smile off his face, the smug little bastard. "You can drive now."

Phil stared at him for a couple more moments, just to spite him, but Dan only seemed to be smirking more.

"Down boy." Dan still had a grin. Phil hated it, he hated how much joy Dan got from irritating him. "Where are we going, chauffeur?"

"Wanna go back to my work?"

"Uh...not all that much."

Phil sighed. "How about Starbucks. I'll treat."

"Sounds great, actually."

Phil's eyes twitched from an effort to not roll them. It was a bad habit.

He drove them to the closest Starbucks, and made Dan, who wanted to just go through the drive through, get out and go in. Dan just glared at him the entire time.

"Dan, don't you wanna get cool names on the cups?"

"You can do that in the drive through, Phil."

"Okay, but they call it out in the shop," Phil argued.

"I am fully decked out in modeling gear, _Phil_ ," Dan stopped walking on the sidewalk, and gestured to his body. Phil followed his hand, to which Dan snapped. "And I know I look fantastic, believe me, but it's a tiny bit much for Starbucks."

Phil just smirked. "C'mon."

They got in line, and Dan stood, looking, well, very much like the model he was. Phil chuckled, and told him to order anything he wanted when it was their turn.

"I'll have a small blonde roast, please," Dan ordered, giving the details to the lady.

Phil stepped up. "Large caramel macchiato, please."

The two men waited for their drinks, choosing to just go with their normal names this time. Once they arrived, they found a comfy spot to sit.

"You know, Phil," Dan said, swishing his drink around in the cup. "You never talk about how you're doing." He looked up with wide brown eyes. It made Phil want to open up about most of what was actually going on, but instead he just stirred his own drink around.

"It's not really something you need to worry about." Phil stirred his drink around. "You have enough to anyways."

Dan sighed. "Shut up about all these technical things for one minute and just talk to me like a normal person, would you?" He tried to maintain eye contact with Phil. "I know I'm the kicked puppy in this situation, but since you apparently have to hang out around me, could you just try to be a friend?"

Phil stared. "You really wanna know?"

"Yes," Dan breathed exasperatedly.

"I haven't slept in like three weeks-"

"That explains the large caffeine-fest-"

"Hey, you said you'd listen."

Dan held his hand up in surrender, and chuckled into a sip of his drink.

"And I'm just stressed about this, you know? I've never gotten anyone involved," Phil said.

"Aw, I'm your first," Dan mused in a happy, yet bitter way.

"You're not technically supposed to know my name, either." Phil chuckled and stretched, shaking his head at himself.

Dan's face jerked back. "What? Why?"

Phil took a long, drawn out sip of his drink. "I mean I'm not supposed to throw my name out just in case, you know. The boss was a little mad about that."

"Oh," Dan looked at his hands. "Sorry, whoops." He chuckled.

Phil shook his head to indicate that it was fine. "You're sure you're alright, Dan?" Phil said after another drink.

Dan shrugged. "I sorta miss my stuff at my apartment. I miss being able to go home at night, as much as I love Louise. I miss feeling generally safe. But it's okay. Nothing too bad has happened so far."

Phil tried to imagine himself in Dan's shoes. Not being able to go back to his own things, to his own place. Not being able to walk around safely. He understood that one; his entire life was somewhat filled with risks. But Dan, poor Dan wasn't accustomed to danger, and he didn't deserve to be. Maybe they could solve everything before he got to that point.

But it was hard. These people knew how to hide to avoid the law. They could find the greatest places to do so, or walk among society causing absolutely no distress, because no one knew who they were. They were good. But Phil knew that eventually they could find more and more physical attributes to figure them out. They just could.

They needed to. They needed to keep the public safe. And he needed to get Dan to be safe. Of course, he cared about the general public; it's the whole reason he had his job. He wanted people safe. He just actually knew Dan, he'd talked to him. And the safer, the better.

"You're gonna be alright, Dan. I'll make sure of it."

Dan covered his mouth and smiled. "Thanks."

They didn't talk too much. Which was alright by them for the day, they knew how to work around each other without all the communication by some instinct. Or maybe they were both still uneasy around the subject surrounding the whole reason they knew each other.

Phil was a bit awkward about it still. He was concerned that Dan despised him, that he just had to be around Phil because of the circumstances, which is how many people were towards him. He was scared to get close because soon enough, Dan wouldn't be around anymore.

Personally, Dan would have loved to talk more. He sort of figured that maybe Phil saw him as a burden, but he wanted him as a friend. Maybe Phil's mysterious nature intrigued him, maybe he was just very interesting. Maybe he just wanted to feel a connection between someone he considered a new companion. Who knew. He just had to figure out how to get Phil talking.

 

Phil took Dan back to Louise's once they were done. Dan rested against the window, getting just a bit of smudged makeup on it, that he then spent the rest of the car ride trying to get off. By the time they got to Louise's, he had succeeded.

Dan turned to Phil. "Hey, thank you so much for the drink." He reached a hand out tentatively and patted his shoulder.

Phil nodded. "You're welcome." He swallowed.

"Hey, you wanna come meet Louise?" Dan asked quietly, stepping out of the car.

"Oh, um," Phil paused, remembering hearing Hazel say that she was a little bit bitter towards Phil. "Maybe, some other time-"

"C'mon, Phil, she's harmless," Dan giggled, walking around to Phil's window. "C'mon."

With a small exhale, Phil exited the safety of his car and walked with Dan to the door.

"Good boy, you're socializing!" Dan exclaimed in a funny voice.

"Hush your face, Danny-"

Louise opened the door, smiling at Dan and looking at Phil with a confused expression.

"Louise," Dan started with a hopeful smile, "This is Phil."

Louise went from confused to squinting. "Oh, you're Phil, huh?" She slowly examined him, trailing her eyes around his body with an obviously suspicious expression.

"Yeah, nice to meet you," he stuck out his hand, which Louise took with a hard grip.

"You too."

"Yeah, very nice that you two have finally met," Dan said, his teeth almost clenched, "I'm glad."

Phil gnawed on his lip gently. "We're all very sorry about what's happened to Dan. We're doing our best to find these people and get them arrested. For now, we just have to keep him as safe as possible."

Louise softened a little bit, now just looking slightly tired. "Right, well, I'm keeping him as safe as possible, so you better too."

Phil nodded. "We're doing as good as we can."

"Better be good."

"Okay guys," Dan interrupted, seeing that they were going to take a while to get along. "I'll see you later, Phil. Call me sometime. Or I'll call you."

"Bye, Dan." Phil waved and walked down the steps towards his car.

"Thanks again for the coffee!"

Phil turned around for a moment. "No problem!" Then he got into his car and drove away.

Louise huffed. "Okay Dan, you're right, he's not that bad."

Dan grinned. "I know he's not."

"Whatever. I approve." Louise walked to the living room, beckoning Dan to follow.

"Approve what?"

"Just him as a person, I guess." She paused and actually smiled. "I approve."

"Alright, mom."

"You better believe it," Louise paused, pointing the remote at him.

Dan rolled his eyes and walked to his room to the sound of Louise's laughter.

He plopped down on his bed and looked at his phone, wanting to mindlessly browse before showering. But before he did that, he saw a text from someone he hadn't spoken to in quite a while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This hasn't been edited yet, so sorry for any typos! Please comment/leave kudos if you're enjoying!!


	6. Chapter 6

Dan went into his shower in a daze. His life had obviously been changed, and there were many people he hadn't talked to since before. He talked to his parents, who had begged him to come home, but he was afraid of the risk of anyone following him and hurting them. He talked to Louise, Phil, Hazel, and that was about it. Everyone else was practically forgotten.  
  
Dan crept out of his shower after dressing in some sweatpants and a jumper. He sneaked past the room where Darcy was now being tucked in, and waited in the living room for Louise. He pulled out his phone, thumbing through the texts once more, and laid his head back with a loud exhale. He tucked his head into the crook of the couch so he felt cocooned and comforted, and pulled a blanket over his legs. In the dead of winter with everything going on, he just wanted to be cozy and cared for.  
  
Louise came back in after a while of Dan scrolling on his phone, and she looked sleepy. She collapsed across the other side of a couch.  
  
"Never be a single parent Dan. I'm so tired." She shifted to look at him looking very soft. "I love her more than I love myself but I just want to lay down. Have someone tuck me into bed and say, 'I'll take care of it. Don't worry.'"  
  
Dan smiled softly, sinking further into the cushions. "I can tuck her in more often if you'd like."  
  
Louise shook her head, shimmying her shoulders to find a more comfortable position. "What's got you troubled Danny boy?"  
  
"Hmm?" Dan sighed. No more lying, he had to tell himself. "Marcus texted me."  
  
"Oh my god." Louise lifted her head, perching it on her fists. "Like, sugar daddy Marcus?"  
  
Instead of making a sarcastic remark, he nodded. "Yeah, that one," he said, and he didn't mean for there to be a quiver in his voice.  
  
"Sweetheart," Louise cooed, moving over to his side of the couch and sitting in front of him. "No need to cry about that, alright? Just tell him you can't go with him today."  
  
"I," he hiccuped, "Okay."  
  
Louise wiped a tear from his face as he clicked his phone on.  
  
 **You** : sorry mark! can't make it today. maybe soon.  
  
Dan clicked away from the message. He didn't want to see Mark's response. All he felt like doing was crying, just staying here with Louise next to him and snuggling into the couch with a chick flick. So he could cry more.  
  
But the vibration went off and he immediately went back, out of habit.  
  
 **Mark** : how about tomorrow?  
  
 **You** : i'm not home, i can't  
  
 **Mark** : I'll pick you up at your friend's house.  
  
Dan's eyes widened, and he slowly looked up at Louise.  
  
"Everything alright, Dan?" Louise looked at him with concern. He really, really wished he could lie to her.  
  
"No, uh," he tapped the back of his phone. "Hang on."  
  
 **You** : how do you know i'm here?  
  
 **Mark** : You're not at your house, so I just figured you'd be there.  
  
"Dan," Louise snapped in his face. "What's up?"  
  
"He...he knows that I'm here." He tapped his phone a little more quickly.  
  
"Did you tell him?"  
  
"I mean, I said I wasn't home."  
  
Louise frowned. "That's still odd. Let me see." She held her hand out and Dan handed her the phone.  
  
"That's," she scrolled through the short conversation. "That's odd. I don't like it. Has he always been this bizarre?"  
  
Dan shook his head. "Not really. I mean, I only really know him for the money, Lou. He's always been nice."  
  
Louise sighed. "Do you want to see him?"  
  
Dan closed his eyes miserably. "No," he stated. Dan didn't want to see him for a while. He was doing okay at his actual job, and he had other things to be concerned about. True, he liked to try not to be too stressed about it, but it always there. It was always there that he could die, or something of that sort.  
  
"Tell him no." Louise nodded at the phone. "Go on then."  
  
"What if he's looking for me, and he knows I'm just blowing him off?" Dan said with a rushed tone, followed by, "Instead of blowing him."  
  
"Hey," she said in a calm voice. "You get as much say in this as he does."  
  
"I know, but-"  
  
"If it makes you feel better, say you're busy. Go out for the day."  
  
"I can't go out alone anymore, Louise, and you have work," Dan wished his entire head would just disappear into the fabric of the couch. "I don't feel entirely safe. What if he's stalking me?"  
  
Louise looked at him sympathetically. "I'm sorry." She sat in thought for a while. "Just, hide here. And say you went home?"  
  
"As much as he's freaking me out right now, I don't want to put him in the possible hands of death."  
  
Louise chuckled softly. "Damn. You're too damn good, Dan Howell."  
  
Dan rolled his eyes. "I don't know what to do."  
  
"Mm," Louise hummed, trying to show her thought. "Call Phil! He'd be thrilled to do his job of watching over you, right?"  
  
"We just spent today together, Louise."  
  
"Well, you could ask to go back to work with him! See if they need anything else from you."  
  
Dan groaned. "I guess."  
  
"Good boy," she mused. "Okay, I'm gonna head to bed, text me tomorrow and let me know what you're doing."  
  
"Will do, mom."  
  
"Good night, sweetie."  
  
"G'night."  
  
Dan pulled out his phone, told Marcus he was busy, and texted Phil.  
  
  
In the morning, Dan sat in the house, watching tv. He was dressed in some nice skinny jeans and a black jumper, with his coat right near him for when Phil got there. He'd remembered to text Louise what was going on, so now he was munching on a light breakfast of nuts. His phone suddenly buzzed, and he nearly had a heart attack.  
  
 **Phil Lester** : hey, i'm outside.  
  
Dan sighed in relief, and shut off the tv. He wrapped his coat around himself, grabbing a scarf from the coat rack to put around his neck. Then, he ventured into the cold.  
  
Once in Phil's car, Phil said, "Sorry we have to go to work today. I didn't have enough time to say I was going out."  
  
Dan was just relishing the heat. "No, it's fine. I'm sorry for such short notice."  
  
"It's all good, pretty sure you can come in any time."  
  
Phil was fumbling with the steering wheel, the front of his hair shoved up in a quiff instead of a fringe that complemented Dan's. He wanted to make a certain joke, and with his personality, he went for it.  
  
"Your hair looks sexy pushed back."  
  
Phil looked over at him with great blue eyes, a flush of pink replacing-or rather, filling-the space of white that was Phil's cheeks. Dan smiled stupidly at his joke, staring at Phil's pretty eyes.  
  
"Thanks," Phil said, lifting one side of his mouth into a smile that sort of melted Dan's insides. He swore he'd only seen Phil smile about three times ever. "I didn't have time to sort that out before I came here if I was going to be on time."  
  
"Hey, it's no problem by me."  
  
"Relax, Howell, it's about eight in the morning."  
  
Dan giggled cheekily and gazed out the window.  
  
"Prepare for takeoff," Phil said, starting the car and beginning the quick drive to his work.  
  
After a few minutes of Dan being distracted by looking out the window, Phil brought him back to reality. "So, remind me again why you actually decided you wanted to come today?"  
  
"I like spending time with you," Dan pressed, only wanting to see Phil blush because of him again. He found it flattering.  
  
"Damn you, Howell," Phil mumbled.  
  
"What was that?"  
  
"What's the actual reason, dork?"  
  
Dan sighed heavily. "So there's this guy, and he sorta pays me for, uh, actions with him-"  
  
Phil burst out, "You have a sugar daddy?"  
  
"Yes, pretty much." Dan looked down at his fingers and picked at his nails that were already immaculate. "I haven't seen him since the night I met you."  
  
"Awkward," said Phil. "Okay, so go on."  
  
Dan explained to him about how he had texted Dan, and he really wasn't up for seeing him. And then the part where he just knew that he was at Louise's.  
  
"Were you guys close?" Phil asked, pulling into his parking spot in the garage.  
  
"Phil, I knew him literally for sex and money. I hardly spoke to the guy besides over text."  
  
"But he knew who Louise was?"  
  
"Well," Dan stepped out of the car, shivering. "I mentioned her a few times. Like, 'oh, I'm headed to Louise's," or, 'okay, i'm stopping at Louise's and then I'll be right over.' But I never said we were like best friends."  
  
"That's sketchy." Phil walked around to meet Dan, and lead him towards the door. "And really sucky. I'm sorry."  
  
"It's not your fault, you're not him."  
  
Phil burst out laughing, and Dan just stared, this huge grin falling over his face. Phil looked actually happy and his tongue peeked out of his mouth.  
  
"No, I'm not your sugar daddy. Sorry."  
  
Dan fake pouted. "But you bought me Starbucks the other day."  
  
Phil raised an eyebrow, pulling out his card for the door. "You need two sugar daddies?"  
  
"The more, the merrier."  
  
Phil rolled his eyes and scanned his card, and the door slid open for him and Dan. "You gonna walk around for a bit or bother me in my office space?"  
  
"Mm, I'll walk around for a bit," Dan answered, then he quirked a little smirk, "Anywhere forbidden?"  
  
"You'll know. Trust me."  
  
Dan raised his hands in a surrendering fashion. "Fantastic. See you later, Phil."  
  
"Don't go too far!"  
  
"Okay, mum."  
  
Dan found that he was calling a lot of people 'mum' recently.  
  
  
Once he got bored of all the pipes located in the building, he walked back to Phil's office. He knocked, to which he heard, "Come in," and he went in.  
  
"Oh, you're back."  
  
"Yeah, turns out not being allowed in most rooms due to 'confidential' reasons gets really boring after a while."  
  
"I agree. You can have a seat there," Phil pointed at a seat in front of him.  
  
Dan closed the door and sat in the seat. With his usual amount of bluntness, he said, "This isn't going to turn into one of those office pornos, right?"  
  
Phil rolled his eyes. Quite a habit of his, Dan noticed. "Probably not."  
  
"Probably?" Dan leaned forward onto the front of his desk, seductively lowering his eyelids and raising an eyebrow. "But what if I wanted to?"  
  
Phil, across the desk, simultaneously wanted to kiss the kid and use his advantage to kick him. "Mm, sorry, not today. I have work."  
  
"Oh, but Phil," he moved to lean against the older man's desk, tilting his head back to gaze at him, "Can't it wait until later?" Suddenly Dan snapped out of it and was giggling.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
He shook his head. "Nothing, just-" he shook his head again, bringing a hand up to his own cheek.  
  
  
A couple hours later, Dan was sitting in Phil's spinney chair, flinging things with a pencil, and Phil was trying to reorganize the room.  
  
"Could you not?" Phil stood up, exasperatedly.  
  
"No, I must," Dan said theatrically. "I must do something so that I am no longer bored."  
  
"So screwing up my office and irritating me is your way of entertaining yourself?"  
  
"My favorite form of entertainment," he nodded. "Seeing you slave away for me."  
  
"I think you should be the slave for me," Phil said.  
  
Dan raised his eyebrows. "Is that so, sir?"  
  
"Indeed," Phil said with a low chuckle, returning things to his desk. "Time to go, grab your stuff."  
  
  
Dan said quick hello's and goodbye's to Hazel and Jack, and then he and Phil were off. Dan climbed into Phil's car and immediately turned on the heat.  
  
"You get cold really easily, huh?" Phil remarked, getting into his own seat and starting the car.  
  
"It's winter, Phil. Everyone gets cold."  
  
"Alright, fair enough."  
  
They drove home with only music as noise, Dan appreciating the cd in the player. He and Phil seemed to have a similar music taste of mostly alternative rock.  
  
When they pulled up to Louise's house, Dan felt parts of his insides turn to ice. Marcus was standing on the doorstep. Marcus, with his stupid sandy hair and that dumb smug look on his face. Where was Louise? Had he just been out there shortly?  
  
"Dan, what's wrong?" God, was he tired of that phrase already.  
  
"Nothing, just-"  
  
"Do you need me to go with you?"  
  
"No, no, thanks so much for hanging out with me for the day. Thanks."  
  
Phil pressed his lips together and nodded, looking at Dan with a small encouraging smile. Dan wanted to stay with him.  
  
He got out of the car, taking one more look at Phil before walking up to the porch. His feet felt like lead. He didn't know why he dreaded this so much, but he really, really did.  
  
"Hi, Daniel. How have you been? It's been a while." His voice sounded like liquid salt.  
  
"I'm fine, Marcus-"  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Sir." He cleared his throat. "And how have you been?"  
  
"Mm. I missed you. Where have you been?"  
  
"Oh, um..." Dan looked around, avoiding eye contact. He couldn't tall about the truth. What kind of lie could he come up with so quickly? "I've been busy at work. Lots of photoshoots and such."  
  
"Oh, my baby's work is actually taking off now, huh?" He stepped closer to Dan, tipping his head up to look at him. "Please look at me when I'm speaking to you, okay? No harm sweetheart."  
  
"Y-yeah, sure, sir. No problem. Um, I really should be getting inside, I've gotta talk to Louise, you know."  
  
"Oh, but baby, I was gonna take you. It's been so long."  
  
"T-two weeks," Dan stuttered.  
  
Marcus looked at him, his face a scowl. "What, do you have a boyfriend now? Your work taking off? You don't need me anymore?"  
  
"N-no, it's not that."  
  
"Then," Marcus stepped even closer, forcing Dan into the side of the house, and Dan just prayed over and over again for Louise to open the door and save him, "what is it, sweetheart? Why don't you wanna come with me?" He trailed his hand down Dan's side, resting it on his ass.  
  
"I-I just don't feel like it today, is all. I had a busy day, you know! I'm sorry."  
  
"What's gotten into you?" Marcus spat.  
  
"What's gotten into you?" Dan's insides were being twisted and turned. "Why are you being like this?"  
  
"Like what?" He growled. "I miss you, babe."  
  
Dan took in a heaving breath, trying not to smell Mark's, when he finally felt like he could breathe again after a moment.  
  
"Is there a problem here guys?" came Phil's voice. Dan sighed in relief. He looked at him. Phil had Mark by the back of his collar for a moment, but then Mark jerked away. He looked at Phil, then back at Dan.  
  
"Is this why you don't wanna come with me?"  
  
Phil pressed on his chest, he was getting too close to Dan again, and Dan looked panicked. "You know what sir," Phil said, "I think he's pretty tired. And I think he will be for a while. Just leave him alone, yeah?"  
  
"Who the fuck even are you, if I may ask? Dan's bodyguard?" Mark asked, seemingly calmer, but still angry.  
  
Phil looked at Dan, not knowing exactly what he wanted to appear as. "He's a coworker. I needed a ride home."  
  
"What happened to your ca-?"  
  
"Hey," Phil stepped in, his voice a bit louder. "Please go, okay?"  
  
Finally, Louise opened the door, supporting Darcy on her hip. Dan flinched. He didn't want Darcy to ever be in the same vicinity as Mark. Especially now.  
  
"What's going on here, guys?" She asked, looking from man to man. "Is there a problem?"  
  
Mark stepped back, to which Phil smirked momentarily. "Not anymore."  
  
Dan pulled at the door, stepping in. He smiled at Darcy and tickled her, to which she giggled. She reached her arms out for Dan, and Louise let go of her grip so that Dan could hold her. Phil looked, and for once, he thought he was seeing a precious moment. Dan with kids was a very pure sight.  
  
Louise looked at Mark and smiled. "Can I help you, sir?"  
  
Mark quickly shook his head. "No, thanks. Goodbye. See you later, Dan." And he walked away.  
  
"No, you won't," Phil muttered after him.  
  
"Why was he here?" Louise asked, and both she and Phil looked to Dan.  
  
"What do you guys think?" he asked, gently bouncing Darcy on his hip.  
  
Louise and Phil shared a look. They both nodded slowly and looked back to Dan.  
  
Phil looked at Dan with Darcy again. He looked more content with her in his arms, and she looked absolutely ecstatic. Phil smiled. He must be really good with kids. Which was an adorable thought.  
  
"What's her name?" Phil asked.  
  
"Darcy," said both Dan and Louise. Darcy glanced between the two, confused as to why her name was being said.  
  
"She's really cute." Phil stepped down a step. "Well, let me know if that jerk comes back, okay?"  
  
Dan nodded. "Thanks for that. Really."  
  
"No problem. See you later guys."  
  
"Bye!" Dan said, and waved Darcy's arm, and Phil's heart became a puddle.  
  
"Bye," Phil said in a light and cooing voice. Darcy giggled a lot and waved on her own, and Phil smiled fondly, waving one more time before walking back to his car.  
  
Dan looked out at him, smiling softly and sighing in relief again. Slowly, he closed the door and faced Louise.  
  
"Mama!" Darcy cried out happily, reaching for Louise, who took her.  
  
"Don't tell me, Dan. Just don't."  
  
"What?"  
  
"You're-never mind. You'll see."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Nothing!" Louise chuckled and walked away.  
  
Dan followed her, saying, "What?" and soon Darcy caught on and started repeating him.  
  
"Nothing, just," she set Darcy down on the ground. "I think you're becoming a bit fonder of Phil Lester than you expected."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Marcus is not Marcus butler, I just thought I'd clarify that lmao. Please comment/leave kudos if you're enjoying!!)


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> hey, i just wanted to let you know that there could be possible trigger warnings in this chapter. i'm not sure, but just to be safe, there's somewhat negative talk, and an instance where one could assume a character is throwing up, but that's not directly mentioned. be safe!!

Dan stared at Louise, sputtering off the top of his head. Honestly, Dan appreciated Phil's company. And as much as he would protest, Dan was pretty sure that Phil didn't mind his either. In this peculiar world where people seemed all the same, he seemed different. Somewhat. Phil had the same business-oriented personality as many people.  
  
But as Dan saw it, everyone really was different. They all just seem the same until you actually know them. Phil seemed like a complete douche-and he kind of was, but not full-on douche. He could possibly be good at heart.  
  
"I don't think I am," Dan said.  
  
"You hardly liked him a week ago, and now you're all buddy-buddy, huh?" Louise crossed her arms and slowly tapped her fingers on her left.  
  
"We've actually talked. I'd like to have friends, you know. It's completely normal to just have friends," he said defensively.  
  
Louise smiled, and reached out to pat his arm. "I know, kid. I trust that. I just wish you'd put yourself back out there, you know?" She seemed to give a reassuring grin. "Even if it's not with Phil, I think you're probably ready to find someone.'  
  
Dan's breathing physically hitched, and he found his way to the couch. "No, no. I, um. I don't think I'm ready, Lou."  
  
Louise sighed and sat facing him. Dan felt bad, he knew that she wanted him to be happy, but she also wanted him to be back in the dating field. To be fair, he wanted the same for her. He hadn't heard much about Darcy's dad since she was born, practically. And no other guys since then.  
  
"Dan. Listen to me, babe." She snapped, because he was definitely zoning out on her. "You're a natural flirt, whether you realize it or not." She chuckled. "It's been over a year. I know it was rough to be dumped, but you deserved a lot better. I know you can find better."  
  
Dan smiled to himself as he realized how many times he probably 'accidentally flirted' with Phil that day. He suppressed this though, knowing he did it fully on purpose to see the man blush. And then he smiled thinking about how he managed to get him to, and how nicely it complimented his face. And how pretty his face was. And-but clearly, it was just a bout of silliness from Dan to forget about the real problems.  
  
"Well, Louise," Dan said, raising his eyes to hers. "I think the same for you."  
  
It was Louise's turn to lower her gaze. "About that..."  
  
Dan immediately perked up. "Louise? Are you...?"  
  
Louise bit back a grin. "I met someone while at the grocery shop the other night, buying those nuggets for you and Darcy, you know?"  
  
"You did?" Dan's entire face lit up. "Louise, are they nice? Oh my gosh, you'll have to introduce me. I'm so happy for you."  
  
Louise nodded. "He's very nice. And I already told him that you two have to meet. We've had a few dates."  
  
"When have you even had time?" Dan asked, baffled.  
  
"I have a lunch break, you know."  
  
Dan snapped, a quick smile rushing onto his face, and pointed. "Right."  
  
"See Dan," and she gestured to him. "I want this for you, too. I want to see you with somebody that makes you happy."  
  
Dan closed his eyes. Why was Louise so good?  
  
He reopened his eyes and looked at Louise with a soft expression. "You deserve this though, Lou. You have Darcy, and you've been looking far longer than me."  
  
Louise pressed her lips together into a smile. "I really do like him." She sighed happily. "Now, I know this isn't technically about you," she said, and they both laughed, "but you know, I really want to see you with someone. Whenever you're ready, love, because I am ready to hear all the juicy details."  
  
"Oh, shut up about me, tell me all the juicy details about you and this guy!"  
  
They had a long talk through the night, only pausing to put Darcy to bed, and then talking in lower voices. Dan listened intently, entirely fascinated by what she was talking about. He smiled softly to himself, because even though Louise had only had a few dates with this guy, she sounded like she was slowly falling in love. He had a good feeling about them. And he longed so badly for something like that.  
  
They fell asleep on the couch, slouched in on each other.  
  
  
Dan woke up to the sound of two people talking. He sat up, regretting not properly getting to bed, because now he had sore shoulders. He finally managed to sit himself up to see who was speaking. He saw Louise with Darcy holding onto her leg, and Miss Trinket standing stiffly a few feet in from the doorway.  
  
"Why hello, sleeping beauty," Louise said with a very polite smile. She could luckily act very professional, even in sweatpants, making Dan look like a total mess.  
  
"Hey," he mumbled, his voice low and gravelly. He cleared his throat. "Hello, Miss Trinket. It's lovely to see you again."  
  
Miss Trinket offered a small smile. "Hello, Daniel. Pleasure to see you."  
  
"Sorry for being so rude, I didn't realize you'd be stopping by," Dan said, trying not to focus on the fact that his hair was probably in shambles. He got up to stand next to Louise, ruffling Darcy's hair and trying to straighten out his own.  
  
Miss Trinket laughed awkwardly. "Yeah." Dan and Louise made eye contact and both bit their lips and looked away. "I apologize for coming without calling. It's just that, um," she cleared her throat and spoke in a far more stern voice. "We have some evidence to believe that the people we are dealing with know where you're staying, Dan."  
  
Dan felt his insides burning. "You-what?"  
  
"We're constantly asking the police to let us use cameras to monitor the city, and they oblige sometimes. We noticed a few people that we believe to fit their descriptions heading this way from downtown."  
  
Louise leaned down and patted Darcy's back, asking her to go play in her room. "Ma'am. Do you know for sure? Did you send anyone out to find out?"  
  
Miss Trinket regarded her with a look that made Dan feel incredibly defensive. "Of course. That's our job, you know." She looked down at the papers in her hands. "However, though we followed them on camera with people going out, we couldn't catch them. And we don't know for sure if this is where they were headed. However, we hardly see them anywhere except around Dan's neighborhood, so we have no clue why else they would head this way, especially with the police after them."  
  
Dan felt his stomach twisting and turning. He felt completely sick. Never, would he ever be able to forgive himself if he put Louise and Darcy in danger. If he screwed up that badly, he couldn't deal with himself. Couldn't deal with the risky positions he put them in.  
  
He excused himself to the bathroom. In there, he actually gagged a little bit, then sat down on the floor. As horrendously insecure as he knew it sounded, he felt like he was always the one to screw things up. He screwed up his past relationships, his relationship with his family. And now he was possibly fucking everything up with his true family in the world.  
  
How could he deal with himself? How could anyone deal with him?  
  
  
Phil waited in the car for Miss Trinket. She, of course, was fully milking the position Phil was in, because who was going to stop her? So he was acting as her chauffeur for the day. Next, they would stop somewhere so that she could get some organic yogurt. He sighed at the day that was planned ahead for them.  
  
He went between his phone and some paperwork, getting fully bored by the work every five minutes. However, after a while, he decided it would be best to finally get it done, and sat scribbling away and reading through everything.  
  
After a while though, of course, he was interrupted by some tapping on the window.  
  
"Phil!" Miss Trinket said. "I texted you about a minute ago. What were you doing?"  
  
Phil pointed. "Work."  
  
"You still have to answer me! You need to come in, we need to discuss what to do with Dan." She sauntered away back into the house.  
  
Phil sucked in a deep breath and straightened the papers, setting them in the passenger seat. Now he had to deal with two people seemed to dislike him. And Dan, hopefully.  
  
He walked into the house and nodded politely at Louise. Miss Trinket led them towards the kitchen, and Louise offered the seats for them.  
  
"Would either of you like anything to drink? I already have some hot water on."  
  
"Coffee, please," Phil said.  
  
"Tea." Miss Trinket nodded.  
  
Louise poured the drink for Miss Trinket, allowing her to put it in what she liked.  
  
Phil sat waiting for his coffee to brew.  
  
"So, I guess what I'm wondering is, what are we going to do with Dan? Should he stay here?" Louise asked.  
  
"Well," Phil started, "It's probably the safest option not to, however this was the only place he mentioned that he could stay at."  
  
"Of course, we could pay for him to stay at a motel or something," Miss Trinket offered. "It would leave us in a bit of a debt, though, depending on how long this whole thing takes to resolve."  
  
Louise glared at her then turned around, pouring Phil's coffee and setting it in front of him.  
  
"Right, of course, sorry. Although, it's not like he can really go back to his own house, right?" Louise snapped.  
  
Phil felt the guilt rising up in him again. He felt like it could soon consume him.  
  
Dan suddenly came in, walking over the counter. His face was puffy and red, indicating that he was clearly just crying. His hair was curly and his clothing choice was sweatpants and a t-shirt. Phil had never seen him look so disgruntled. He wished they could go for coffee and try to talk it out. But he had to tell himself that wasn't normal, even if it was what Dan wanted.  
  
Dan poured himself what was left of the pot of Phil's coffee, and moved to sit at the table. He didn't say anything to anyone, but Phil figured he was just quiet in the morning.  
  
But then he laid his eyes on Phil. They met eyes for a moment, and Dan's simultaneously looked like he was losing everything, and like they were setting fire to everything.  
  
"What are you doing here?"  
  
"Well, we're here to figure out if we should move you somewhere, but the trouble is that we don't know where to-" Phil began.  
  
"Get out." Dan's voice was solid. He definitely got out a lot of crying.  
  
"Excuse me?" Miss Trinket pitched in.  
  
"I want you to get out. I'm not staying here, but I don't need your help to figure out where to go."  
  
Phil looked to Louise, but even she looked confused.  
  
"Dan, hon, what do you mean?" Louise questioned.  
  
"I plan on moving back home, probably."  
  
Phil did his best to keep his composure, Miss Trinket sipped her tea, and Louise protested.  
  
"But, Dan, there's so many other options, and-"  
  
"I think it's about time that I go home and visit, right?"  
  
"But, listen Dan, they probably-"  
  
"Oh, what, along with all other things, you're gonna tell me my family doesn't even want me there now?"  
  
Louise's eyes softened, and she went to move closer to Dan. She spoke in a calm, soothing voice, one that Phil imagined she'd use with Darcy.  
  
"Dan. You know things haven't been the best with you and them, but," she paused, pondering. "I guess it wouldn't hurt. You'd come back, right?"  
  
"Well, yeah, once everything was over and done with." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.  
  
"What if you led them back to your place?" Phil blurted out in a silent panic. "You should _wait_ to visit them until this is all over and done with, I think."  
  
All three of the others turned to stare at him.  
  
Miss Trinket smiled politely and set her tea down. "But, I doubt they'd leave this city, right? This is where they're settled."  
  
Phil stared at her. He took a sip of his own coffee, and thought about it. He didn't know what he was thinking right then.  
  
"That's the perfect way for them to escape the police. Chasing after a target who went out of town."  
  
Phil stared across at Miss Trinket, who looked at Dan, who looked extremely uneasy. He looked like he didn't quite run out of tears.  
  
Finally, Miss Trinket said, "They're not stalking his every move, it would be hard for them to follow if he had a starting advantage." She stared coldly at Phil, her jaw set.  
  
He could tell what she was thinking. If Dan went away, then they wouldn't have a burden to deal with. But Dan was more than a burden, he was a person. And Phil knew he deserved to get his own home back. Even though it would make his life so, so much easier, he didn't want Dan to go away.  
  
"We don't know that though," Phil responded, tapping his fingers against the mug his coffee was in. He looked to Dan, who had his arms crossed, his dark brown eyes puffy and red, but looking almost sympathetically at Phil. He wondered why.  
  
"Well, then, I guess we should wait to figure out what's going on." Miss Trinket seemed settled, bringing her cup to her lipstick-ridden lips.  
  
"What if something happens before that though?" Dan finally spoke up, his voice trembling only a little bit.  
  
Miss Trinket and Phil looked to each other now.  
  
"Well, Dan," Miss Trinket said. "We can keep a very close eye on your house and this place, if you'll allow us. It's just, drastic measures can be dangerous."  
  
Boy, did he know that.  
  
"I think maybe he should just stay here," Louise said firmly.  
  
Dan shook his head. "No, I don't think that would be good. That puts you in danger."  
  
Louise smiled very gently and put a hand on his shoulder. "You're family, Dan. If I have to, I can find a place for Darcy to stay."  
  
Dan shook his head even more viciously. "No, no, I can't make you guys do that."  
  
"You can have someone come here and act as a guard," Miss Trinket offered.  
  
"That might freak Darcy out." Dan took a large sip of his coffee, but he still looked more tired than ever.  
  
"Better safe than sorry," Louise said.  
  
"Do you want to stay at our work?" Miss Trinket asked. "Oh, we have a lovely place for people to stay. And currently, you'd have it all to yourself."  
  
Dan looked startled and closed his eyes, then reopened them. "No. I think being alone would be worse."  
  
Miss Trinket let out a clearly stressed huff. Phil wondered how she had her job. She could be so terribly unprofessional. "Well, there would be people there. We could ask Hazel, or Jack, or anyone to stay with you."  
  
"I don't want to be anyone else's inconvenience."  
  
Phil could feel the guilt again. He wished he'd never done this to Dan. Of all the people in the world, good or bad, he didn't deserve it.  
  
Louise looked like she was about to say something to Dan.  
  
"Guys, just stop," Dan continued, getting seemingly more agitated. "I can't. This is too hard right now. I can't go home, I can't go to my family, I can't stay here, and I have nowhere else to stay."  
  
"We could pay for a motel?" Miss Trinket said once again. Dan stared at her for a long time.  
  
"I might as well just stay at your work."  
  
"Why don't you just try it for one night?" Miss Trinket asked. Phil closed his eyes.  
  
"Fine."  
  
Louise began, "Dan-"  
  
"If it's awful, we can figure something else out," Miss Trinket added.  
  
"Fine."  
  
"Okay, well, we'll see you tonight. Call before we close so we can see who can stay with you."  
  
"Alrighty."  
  
Miss Trinket got up, Phil following her.  
  
"We'll talk to you later." Miss Trinket looked up at Louise, as she was standing behind Dan. "And as always, we sincerely apologize for this inconvenience."  
  
Louise forced a smiled onto her face and nodded. "Goodbye, Miss. Bye Phil." She smiled a little more sincerely.  
  
Phil waved a bit. Before he left, he leaned down and whispered, "I really am sorry."  
  
Phil then left, presuming everyone in that room did not particularly like him, despite how much he thought maybe he and Dan were starting to like each other. And he figured that Dan probably wouldn't want to go get coffee any time soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please comment if you're enjoying the story!!


	8. Chapter 8

Phil knew he'd screwed up.

Screwed up by putting Dan in danger.

Screwed up by not immediately suggesting that he left.

Screwed up by being so distant from him

and then coming around later.

But he also screwed up by coming around too late.

He screwed with his every move. He didn't put in enough effort. He didn't try hard enough, or consider anyone else but himself. All he did was sit and mope around because he felt guilty, and if it was known at least to himself that he felt guilty, he could live with himself, right?

Clearly. That's how everyone that it went. If you sorry then you'd seem like a good person. But in all truth, don't people usually feel good if they knew they helped for the better?

And Phil knew he didn't. Because now Dan had to come to a goddamn official protected facility just so he wouldn't get himself or anyone else on a death list.

And it all began with Phil.

He knew he needed to distance himself from Dan; that's how he initially tried to deal with things. But if he kept himself away, Dan would be safe, right?

No, no, clearly that was dumb. He needed to try and protect Dan. He owed him that much. And that involved him being there.

All Dan ever wanted was to be friendly with Phil, to joke around and have a good time in the best of the bad times. And now that Phil was ready to return the favor, to be friends, to be whatever Dan wanted to be just so they'd be okay even though everything else fucking wasn't, Dan hated the thought of even seeing Phil's face. And Phil couldn't stand himself for it. He hated that he was rude to Dan, and he hated that he got his hopes up over someone that literally could die because of him.

And Dan was on his way, and Phil couldn't begin to prepare how he'd act for the night. He shouldn't be there. He should be leaving.

Phil went to the only person that he figured would comfort him. Hazel.

Hazel was in Jack's office, sitting on the edge of his desk and trying to look serious while saying something. As Phil approached, Hazel burst into laughter and Jack chuckled. Phil really hated to ruin the fun. Goddamn it, why couldn't he ever just leave people to the people who brought them joy?

"Hey buddy, what's up?" Jack asked as he approached, a smile still on his face from whatever joke Hazel had said.

"Oh, I just," he chewed on his lip before and after talking. "I was just wondering how we're gonna deal with the whole Dan situation tonight?"

Hazel slid off the desk and stood in front of Phil, brushing the front of her sweater off. She looked at him, her eyebrow going up in a sign of sympathy. "Phil, you don't have to worry about him so much."

Phil scowled at her, moving back a step. "Yes, I do. It's literally our job to be concerned for people, and this one is only in danger because of me. I do have to worry about him, a lot of the fucking time."

"Cool down, Lester," Jack said calmly.

"Listen, all I mean is, Phil," she moved forward to put a hand to his cheek, and he closed his eyes, feeling soothed but oh, so conflicted. "You don't have to worry so much because we are too. You don't have to act like you're going through this alone."

"But it's my fault this time," Phil said. "Therefore it's mostly on me."

"We're here to help, Phil." Hazel tilted her head to try to peer at him closer. "It's our job, you know?"

Phil granted her a small smile, and she followed suit.

Hazel removed her hand and crossed her arms. "Sorry, I just saw you pacing for the longest time," she said. "Now, about Dan."

"He's just going to come here and stay the night, only until we can figure out somewhere more comforting for him to stay."

"Who's staying with him?" Phil asked.

"Well, we all can," Jack said.

Phil nodded. At least he wouldn't be alone.

 

Only fifteen minutes after the quick pep talk, Dan showed up. Miss Trinket led him into Jack's office, where he stood somewhat embarrassed in the doorway.

"Hi," he muttered, looking down. Phil frowned. It was just too unlike him.

He was holding a bag on his arm, a pillow, a small blanket, and a teddy bear.

"Hey!" Hazel greeted, walking over to give him a small hug. "How have you been, champ?"

Jack stood up and patted his back since he couldn't shake his hand.

Phil nodded a bit. "Hi."

Dan smiled softly at all of them, looking between them and looking down as he saw Phil. "Where can I put all of this?"

 

They led Dan to the room he was staying in. It almost half-hotel room, half-bunker. There was a small tv on a dresser and a small nightstand, with a few beds in the room, which were all bunk beds. Dan plopped his stuff down on the floor, looking around.

"Not bad," he muttered, his voice cracking. He sat on the bed and bounced.

"Okay, Dan, are you okay with all of us staying here for the night?" Hazel asked.

Dan glanced between them all, bit on his upper lip, and nodded.

Jack was rummaging through some cupboards. "Good, I didn't wanna get kicked out, I found some games for this."

Dan smiled a bit at him. "No worries. What games?" He slid to the floor.

The other three eventually sat with him, Jack carrying a few board games and cards alike.

 

Hazel, Jack, Dan, and Phil played games until late in the night. This resulted in several game pieces being thrown at certain people (mostly Phil, courtesy of Dan) and some cards being swiped. Turns out, Jack was a big cheater at Uno, which Hazel called him out on endlessly.

Eventually, Jack got tired and went to lay down, and the three of them were left. They continued playing and shouting until Dan said he was tired.

"Want to put a movie on?" Hazel asked, yawning as she stood.

"Yeah, that's fine. Whatever you have."

Hazel nodded and put in some high school drama movie from the early 2000s, and went off to the bed Jack was in.

Phil decided to stay on the top bunk next to Dan. He set up his pillow and blankets there, slipping to the bathroom to put on his pajamas. He climbed into bed, pulling up the covers and watching the movie.

"Phil?" He heard Dan mumble, but he ignored it. It was quiet enough that he could pass off as not hearing it.

"Phil?" Dan said a little louder, and Phil finally faced him. He saw Dan gazing back, his arm draped over the side of his bed.

"What?"

Dan beckoned for him to go over there.

"Dan, I'm not getting up."

He only gave in when Dan started pouting, climbing down off of his bed and staying on the ladder of Dan's.

"What do you need?"

"I'm not that tired." Dan shrugged.

"Then why did you say you were?"

"I was a bit ago. But you're a little loud."

Phil looked at him and sighed. Dan looked at him with this hopeless gaze, something that made Phil's insides turn.

"I also want to talk," Dan admitted, finally taking his eyes from Phil to his own fumbling hands.

Phil chewed on his lip. "What about?" And there was so much it could be about.

"Just, sit on the end of the bed, would you? You look like you're about to fall."

Phil moved to sit a bit away from Dan's feet, looking at him again. "Okay, now what do you want to talk about?"

As Phil looked at Dan, he could almost see all of the man's thoughts running through his head. Usually, he appeared a lot younger, more full of life than most people his age. But now, he only looked young because of a childlike terror on his face. Phil wanted to reach out to him, to tell him that his thoughts were just as jumbled.

"Listen, I know that you didn't mean to do this, Phil," Dan started. Phil already could feel anxiety twisting his gut. "But, it kinda sucks. And I know I told you to stop apologizing as well, so it's not really fair to seem so pissed at you."

The older man dropped his eyes down to the pillow. Why, why was he doing this? Doing his weird forgiving thing? Why was he so willing to accept that sure, he did something unfair, when every ounce of guilt was practically eating Phil alive?

"It's fair."

"It's not." Dan sat up to be level with him.

"Dan, stop-"

"I just want a clean slate, Phil." Dan held up a finger. "Let me finish." His eyes traveled across Phil's face, and Phil wasn't sure what he was looking for. He looked down, embarrassed. "I disappointed my family, and my last relationship was a flop. I know you don't want to listen to my past drama, but I need to get this off my chest and, I don't know, you just seem kind of...understanding, for the moment."

"Go on, then." Phil encouraged him by nodding. "I don't mind."

"I guess details aren't needed right now, but my parents aren't thrilled with my career path. They sort of hate the fact that I went for modeling. 'Wasted intelligence,' they say."

Phil shook his head thoughtfully. "No, I think modeling definitely suits you." He almost started chuckling when he noticed Dan's cheeks go pink.

"Yeah, well they hate it," he sighed. "About my last relationship-I'm over it. It was a long time ago, and it was a rough break up, but the person was a douche, so I'd rather not go into it."

"Is that one guy," Phil cleared his throat, "The one from Louise's porch. Is he...your boyfriend?"

Dan shook his head.

"Oh, okay, good," Phil said. "He, um-he seemed like a dick."

Dan, who had been peering at him strangely as he spoke, started chuckling. "Yeah, he always seemed nice. But no, he's just there so I can get money."

"Anyways," he continued. "Louise and Darcy have just seemed like family to me for years now. I love them like my own family."

"I'm really sorry-"

"I'm still gonna cut you off there," Dan said, smiling sadly. "I accept your apology. And I know you didn't do any of this on purpose. You're a good person. One of the nicest I've met in a long time." He smiled cheekily. "Even if you're a dick too."

Phil scoffed and tried to protest, to which Dan just giggled. Phil softened into smiling.

"I'm just very defensive over them, and I can't stand the thought of them being in trouble."

"I know, Dan."

"And to be fair, it is like, at least thirty-seven percent your fault that they could be in danger."

Phil exhaled out of his nose, a small form of laughing. "Maybe a little more than that."

"So I wanted distance from you in particular." Phil looked at Dan after this, and he was just looking at his nails, his eyebrow slightly raised. "And I probably still would if Louise didn't talk it over with me after you left today."

"What'd she say?" Phil asked, cocking his head. "To change your mind?"

"Yes, you got me in danger. Which sucks. But you're also now working your ass off to protect me. Even if it could get you in trouble. Which is pretty damn heroic Phil." He punched Phil in the arm playfully. "My hero," he sung quietly, rolling his eyes.

Phil found a smile being brought to his face, and he just really wanted to thank Dan for once instead of the other way arou-

"Wow, I never expected to be anyone's hero." Phil smiled softly. "I'm glad to be yours."

Dan smiled at him for a moment, then dropped his eyes and looked around awkwardly. "Well anyways, that was it. You can like, leave my bed now."

Phil nodded and laughed, bidding goodnight to Dan. He found himself not wanting to leave him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so, I'm officially the worst at updating!! I think I'm going to make a schedule for myself to write and publish once or twice a week. Sound good? Cool. Please comment :)


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry I've been so bad with updating, I got busy and then school started!! But I'm going to try to update on either Tuesdays or Thursdays, so check back then!!

Dan woke up to the sound of Jack snoring loudly in his bed. He reached groggily for his phone and saw the time, so he decided to just stay awake. Louise had texted him goodnight, so he sent a quick apology text and an update as to how he was doing. He was doing very okay.  
  
Phil woke up later and immediately noticed Dan wasn't in his bed. He sat up too quickly and started seeing colors, so he rubbed his eyes until he saw Dan's large form sitting on the ground, playing with Winnie. He sighed in relief and laid back down.  
  
"Phil?" Dan said upon noticing Phil having some jerky movements.  
  
Phil peeked back up above the side of the bed, his hair sprawled across his forehead. "Yeah?"  
  
Dan smiled softly. "Ah, so you are up. You look like you're being possessed. Come here?"  
  
Slightly begrudgingly, Phil slid off the bed and went to sit in front of Dan.  
  
"How long have you been up?" Phil asked.  
  
"Just about an hour," he answered. He giggled as Winnie flopped down on his lap. "You guys sleep in really late."  
  
"Well, I didn't expect you to be up so early!" Phil said defensively. "You can wake me up any time, you know."  
  
He scratched behind Winnie's ears. "I didn't need you to, you need sleep," Dan said softly. He then started tittering. "You're so grumpy."  
  
"Well," Phil huffed, "Thanks. They have no excuse," he looked up at Hazel and Jack.  
  
Dan followed Phil's eyes, and then looked at them for a few seconds, a small smile appearing across his lips. "You um," he said, "you guys have coffee?"  
  
"Yeah," Phil said, his voice rising in a relieved tone. "And hell do I need to get some."  
  
"Cool, you lead the way. But first," Dan said as Phil was standing. He moved Winnie and stood to follow suit, then brushed the few strands of hair off Phil's forehead. He saw Phil's eyes and smiled a bit. "It was bothering me." He looked down at Phil's shoulder. "Too used to perfect hair, you know."  
  
"You have like-" he sputtered, "you have messy hair too!"  
  
Dan carded a hand through his own, and Phil would hate to admit it, but it looked nice. "That may be so, but I can pull it off, you can't."  
  
Phil felt huffy and he rolled his eyes. "You're such a prick. It's the _morning_."  
  
"It's never too early for beauty." Dan smiled smugly as Phil led the way to a small kitchen space.  
  
"What's got your panties in a twist?" Dan said as Phil got his coffee in a silent, stoic manner.  
  
"Nothing," he mumbled. "I'm just not a morning person until I get my coffee." He forced a small smile. He couldn't admit that he had appreciated Dan being soft with him in the early hours of them being up, and that he became disappointed as he brushed it off.  
  
Dan nodded slowly. "Okay!" he said eagerly. "Well hurry up then, I need some too."  
  
"I doubt that," Phil said, rolling his eyes. "You're already acting like a needy chihuahua."  
  
Dan started giggling loudly, and Phil just rubbed his temples as he tried to figure out what he found so appealing about this man.  
  
  
Hazel and Jack soon found them, actually dressed in work clothes. Jack stood behind Hazel, rubbing her shoulders as she got them both coffee.  
  
Dan would have killed for a relationship as subtly supportive as theirs.  
  
Despite what he had said to Louise, Dan felt ready for a new relationship. He had realized that he wanted the cuddles, the hugs, the reassurances at the end of the day, the kisses, the soft whispering and giggling of a happy couple.  
  
And he felt that Phil Lester was a strong reason why.  
  
He tried to convince himself that he was just more comfortable now that he had met Phil. He was a pretty decent guy, and Dan knew that if anyone was ever treating him wrong, Phil could probably beat them up. So, that helped.  
  
But he couldn't deny the few times that he'd fallen into a state of dreaming looking at Phil's eyes, imagining them both snuggled up with tea and talking shyly and Dan getting distracted by their wonder. He would have to say how much he'd thought about making Phil stop writing some of his dumb paperwork to make him hold his hand. But he'd probably never admit that one time he'd imagined Phil dominating the hell out of him.  
  
All in all, he knew it was fucked up to be attracted to someone who could get you killed, but he was indeed attracted to Phil Lester.  
  
  
After work, Jack, Hazel, Dan, and Phil sat in a conference room, with Hazel perched on the table. They'd been arguing about Studio Ghibli movies for about ten minutes now, until Jack brought up going home.  
  
"Yo Hayes, we gotta go," he said, walking behind her and patting her back. "Need a comfy change of clothes."  
  
Phil stared at him pointedly.  
  
Hazel looked at him, letting out a half-hearted laugh. "Well, we have to figure out a place for Daniel, then."  
  
Jack looked to Dan. "You wanna stay here, mate?"  
  
Dan shrugged, not wanting to be too picky. "I mean it's very nice, but it's sort of unnerving."  
  
Jack looked at Hazel, talking with his eyes. "Wanna stay at a motel?"  
  
"I, um," Dan said, looking down at the floor. "I don't wanna be alone."  
  
"I'll stay with you," Phil volunteered.  
  
Hazel nodded simply. "Okay, glad that's sorted out. Thanks for volunteering Phil."  
  
"No problem." Phil stood up out of his seat, pushing it in and going to find his coat.  
  
"Hey, thanks," Dan said in a light tone, grasping Phil's arm as he walked past, portraying with his eyes how much he appreciated it.  
  
Phil smiled and put his head down as he walked, hiding his goofy face. He got his coat and brought Dan's, throwing it to him once he got in the room.  
  
Hazel came back in, over-dramatizing her exhaustion from talking to Miss Trinket. "Okay, come on, we'll show you the way there."  
  
The other three followed Hazel through the halls, Dan hardly looking up from his phone as he walked.  
  
"Oh, hey, Phil," Jack said, catching up to where he and Dan were walking. "You still coming next Friday?"  
  
Phil cocked his head for a second, looking at him confused. "Oh, you mean to the bar? Yeah, sure." He said, having totally forgot about the arrangements from a year ago.  
  
"Whoa, you guys actually go out?" Dan joked, actually looking up to see Phil and Jack's faces. "That's crazy."  
  
"You can come if you want to, Dan," Jack said. "It's not a professional gathering, just some friends."  
  
"Yeah, you can come see us be not totally business-y," Phil said enticingly.  
  
Dan felt heat rush to his cheeks at the thought of being considered close enough to go. "Really? Wow, uh, sure. If you think it'd be safe."  
  
"No one in a gang will attack in a bar, that makes them known. But even if they did, you'd be safe," Phil reassured him. "We'd be there."  
  
Dan nodded, smiling very softly to himself, his cheeks very rosy. "Okay, sounds fun."  
  
"Awesome," Jack said, running up to catch up with Hazel.  
  
And that's when Dan started grinning, hiding his face in the collar of his coat. And when Phil felt a knot in his stomach, wanting Dan close at all times and realizing that he would be. And he didn't know how he was going to deal with that.


	10. Chapter 10

Dan and Phil got separate rooms at the hotel. They planned to meet down in the lobby at 7:30 most mornings, later on weekends. This system worked for the most part, they had their privacy and Dan was safe throughout the days, Miss Trinket working to find places for Louise and Darcy to meet up with Dan. Everything was fine and well.  
  
Everything did not stay this way, however, as soon enough Dan started to show signs of being too frightened to be alone. Phil wasn't the only one to comment on his eyebags; Louise said something to him one day.  
  
"Dan, have you been like...have you been sleeping okay?"  
  
"Same as usual, why?"  
  
"Well, is the usual a good amount for you?"  
  
"It's alright, usually."  
  
"Usually?"  
  
"Sleep is the least of my worries, Louise."  
  
"It isn't if you want to keep your model face intact, Daniel."  
  
Dan was still taken to work every day. His director for his current shoot and his boss were informed of the situation, so they knew if Dan needed to call off a day, there was a good reason behind it. But usually, he just showed up and did his job.  
  
Modeling was almost therapeutic to Dan at this point. It was the same as usual:  
  
Another pose. Another shot. Another angle.  
  
This was his favorite part of any given day. Modeling was the one thing that hadn't changed drastically since his entire life had. He had to talk to new people, deal with bad situations, and even talking to Louise didn't feel the same anymore since it was all arranged around his safety. But modeling was the same.   
  
It kept him busy, and Dan liked that feeling. He liked feeling productive and like he was doing something important, not just sitting around and moping, which is what he did the other part of the time. It gave him a change from crying in private and faked coolness around Phil. It made him feel like his real, authentic self, despite the fact that he was in some unnatural poses. Modeling just felt like him.  
  
And despite the dark circles under his eyes, no one at work questioned him, because everyone could have them. They were simple to cover up if you just had the right makeup to do it with.  
  
Dan needed a lot more than some fucking makeup to cover up the reasons behind the dark circles. But if it could at least help with his appearance, then so be it.  
  
Some nights got too bad. Dan would have to sit up and assure himself he was okay, there was no one bad with him, and no that's not a deathly spirit in the room with you. It was still bad for him, because he'd have to sit awake and watch tv to relax, and eventually get a little bit more sleep, enough to live on-mostly.  
  
One night was too much. Dan felt like he didn't wake up from the nightmare, because he couldn't. Everything was too real: he was being targeted, he did have people after him, and there wasn't one moment of his life where he felt remotely safe, because these people could find him and get him killed quick. He woke in a frenzy, shouting loudly and limbs flying, kicking all the blankets to the floor. He stood despite his fatigue, thinking through his hell-ish thoughts that maybe everything would be okay if he could just feel the floor underneath him, if he could take in a few deep breaths and remind himself: the only difference between his past and present is now there were people looking for him and his friends. Which was fucking terrifying, but better than the demonized nightmares he was trapped in.  
  
In this bout of terror, he managed to grab his key card and fumble out of his room and across the hall to Phil's. He knocked frantically, not taking into consideration their neighbors, just needing another human to remind him that he was real but the nightmares weren't. Phil answered, dazed and confused, and immediately cleared up when he saw Dan's softly whimpering form. He made Dan come in and sit, drink a glass of water, and talk to him about why he was crying. Dan finally explained the nightmares, sobbing, unable and not wanting to hide them in his own brain anymore. He just wanted someone else to take care of it for him.  
  
So, Phil let him sleep in his room that night. He made sure it was completely okay with Dan, and went so far as to message Hazel to see what she thought, but she just said it was okay if he was freaking out, oh my god, just let him stay. _It's what you're there for_. So all that night Phil listened to Dan's breath tremble, and eventually slow as he fell into a deeper sleep. He didn't make Dan wake up until later, but by that point Dan was pretty much his regular self and cursing Phil out for making him rush to get ready.  
  
And so it went like that every night, Dan eventually just started staying in Phil's room, even though they still paid for the other one. He still had fitful sleeps, but either Phil woke him up to talk, or Dan asked Phil to get up because he needed to talk.  
  
Dan had a bad dream one night and wasn't waking up, so Phil gently got him into a sitting position as he groggily woke, now turning into the crying form he'd been nights ago. He couldn't stop the crying, couldn't make anything stop, and he wrapped his arms around Phil's neck and pulled him closer, crying and getting snot on Phil's shoulder. His warm, heavy arms stayed there for a long time, until Phil was growing sleepy again and Dan was only sniffling. Phil knew it was going to be a rough night when he got up to get Dan tissues and he looked at him with panicked eyes. So Phil sat with him while he blew his nose and told Dan he'd stay there until he fell asleep. His instincts told him to brush Dan's hair out of his eyes, stroke his back calmly. He did, and Dan seemed to lose the crease in his face, finally relaxing. He mumbled something to Phil, something he thought was, "Thank you." And Phil smiled and fell asleep just as he was.  
  
They both seemed fine with how the nights went, and if Phil ended up falling asleep in Dan's bed, or Dan crawled in with Phil in the middle of the night, so be it.  
  
The days passed and finally, it was Friday-time to go to the bar. Dan decided to go with Phil. He could handle being away from Phil, as he stayed away most of the time when Phil was at work, but he felt more stable when he was around him, knowing he could pull him aside if something was going wrong. And besides, he could use a little fun.  
  
"Dan, it's really not that formal. You don't need to out-stage everyone," Phil groaned, looking at Dan's slim figure do up a neat button up with freshly ironed pants. He went so far as to do his hair and spray it so it would stay, and Phil already had enough trouble on normal days keeping himself from spitting out compliments left and right.  
  
"It's a nice feeling though," Dan said jokingly, straightening out his shirt. "It's not that hard to out-stage you, Philip."  
  
He turned from the mirror finally, posing in an ordinary position. "How's this look?" he asked, and for once Phil thought he might actually feel insecure.  
  
He had no reason to be though, god, Dan's hair fell across his forehead in such perfect waves, his slender, curvy form perfectly fitting the clothes. Phil was jealous of but honored to be around Dan, because he somehow managed to have a great face no matter what; whether it be in a good amount of heat where he glowed, or in the icy cold, where his cheeks became pink and rosy.  
  
"Wonderful," Phil said, biting his lip softly.  
  
Dan grinned. "Perfect."  
  
Phil gazed at him for a second  longer, snapping out of his daze and saying, "Oh, right, Dan. I have work I have to finish tonight. I was thinking of stopping at my place?"  
  
Dan tried to hide his panic, his insides turning into acid. There was no way he could make it through a night alone with tensions as high as they were. "I-I'm sorry, is there any way you could do it here?" He looked down at his nails, finding something fascinating about them and playing with them. "I know, you probably want to go home, but Hazel even said they have an intense lead on these guys, so it can only be so much longer-"  
  
"Dan, it's okay," Phil said, just wanting him to calm down. "I can do it here, it's just going to be very boring and I can't have distractions, so-"  
  
"I'll stay in my room," Dan said in a low, urgent tone. "Really, I'll only come in later if I really need to."  
  
They'd never really discussed their sleeping situation; it was just something that was kept between them in the early hours of the morning, a sense of feeling safe and content with the other person there. They seemed fine keeping it that way, even if sometimes Dan wished Phil would just hold him close and Phil wished he could have Dan in his arms, safe and sound. They never talked about it, and though it wasn't some crazy secret, they never chose to share it with anyone, not even each other.  
  
"That's fine. I have my work in my bag, so I'll just leave it here and finish it later." He smiled reassuringly at Dan, trying to get one point across: _I'm not going to leave you._  
  
"Okay, if you're ready to go, then let's do this." Dan slung his bag over his shoulder and pressed his lips together, wanting to say thank you with much more than a small smile.  
  
"I'm always ready."  
  
Dan rolled his eyes, and they made their way downstairs to meet the taxi they had called.  
  
The drive was quiet; they paid the fee and made their way through the city to a small, sparsely but prettily lit bar. It seemed as though not many people made their way around here, as it wasn't filled to the brim with young adults splashing alcohol on each other and dancing awkwardly to the music.  
  
Quickly Dan and Phil found Jack, with Hazel coming out of the bathroom to meet them moments later.  
  
"Hey, you guys showed up," Jack grinned, already nearly through his first drink.  
  
"Yeah, after this guy went through enough time primping and preening to write a novel," Phil said, rolling his eyes playfully as Dan slapped his arm.  
  
"I just wanted to look nice," he grumbled softly, smiling quickly and greeting the couple across the table.  
  
They made some small talk, discussing very quickly the situation and how yes, things were getting more serious but no, there was no other initial danger to worry about than there had been before. However, they kept all other conversation away from that, which Dan was counting his blessings for-he already wasn't ready for the night alone.  
  
In the middle of a joke, Hazel's eyes lit up and she started waving her hand, inviting a small girl with long brown hair and a soft face to come over. She had a taller friend with her-a man, who seemed tall, lanky, and nerdy. The girl ran over to embrace Hazel, talking in a very soft voice with her about the struggle it was to get there. Eventually, Hazel and Jack both greeted the man.  
  
When the girl came over to give Phil a hug was when everyone finally decided to introduce Dan to these people.  
  
"Oh, Dan! You need to meet our friends!" Hazel said happily, her eyes adoring and shining.  
  
Phil said, "This is Evan, he's a very-do I daresay-punny guy." He shook his head at his own joke as Evan shook Dan's hand.  
  
"And you're Dan?" Evan said, shaking his head in a humorously dismissing manner.  
  
Dan smiled. "Yeah, nice to meet you."  
  
Evan sat next to Jack, soon noticing another, shorter figure coming into the bar and calling him over.  
  
"And this," Hazel said, pulling on the other, younger girl's arm, "is Dodie. She's absolutely an angel," she said, gushing as Dodie rolled her eyes and smiled shyly. "She's a bit of a baby, but a cool babe, and I love her."  
  
"Nice to meet you Dan," Dodie said in a wonderfully quiet voice.  
  
"You have really nice eyebrows," Dan said, looking up at her from his seat. He then chuckled and said, "You too, though."  
  
Phil rolled his eyes, glad at least that Dan was hitting it off with people.  
  
"Thanks! I usually think they suck, but I've been working at them," Dodie smiled sweetly, sitting down next to Hazel and across from Dan, quickly picking up on a deep conversation about eyebrows.  
  
The other, shorter figure to come in was named Dean, who Jack seemed to be close friends with, as close as Hazel and Dodie. He was introduced by Jack, who pulled him into an intense hug when he came over.  
  
Dan and Phil both engaged in conversation, with Dan only having Phil there as a crutch in case things got awkward-he had a knack for causing weird conversations and sometimes ruining them. He kept a hand on Phil's chair the entire time they talked to separate people.  
  
But Dan didn't find it hard to find conversation in these people. They were the kind of people to invite you right in, really make you feel welcome and like you'd known each other for a while-or, even if you hadn't, like that didn't matter, because they wanted to get to know you and become friendly with you.  
  
Soon, other friends of theirs showed up, two that were introduced to Dan as Chris and Pj, and they were a couple to create very interesting conversations. They sat on the other side of Phil, chatting with him. Dan found himself joining in on Dodie and Hazel's conversations, just because he heard a few key words that interested him, and he was entertained by what they had to say. Everything felt normal for once-normal friends and a night out at the bar.  
  
They got drinks passed around and slowly everything became warmer, more blurred, but only in a pleasant way for now. They also had finger foods passed around the table, and as the night went on, the table of nerds managed to get to the dance floor.  
  
Phil bobbed along awkwardly on the floor, just starting conversations so he didn't look lonely and awkward-still obviously worried about these things at age nearly thirty. Dan stood by him for a bit, talking up his friends.  
  
"-and Dodie has been wonderful, and Chris started a really weird conversation with me about ch-" he was saying excitedly, and Phil could only watch happily as he was pulled away by Dodie, being spun awkwardly by the girl. They swayed together for a short bit, and Phil smiled while drinking his drink, seeing Dan's giggling figure in the night and wishing he could be the one dancing with him. He was totally happy to just see him swaying around happily for a while, and eventually Phil had a talk going on with Chris anyways.  
  
Everything was filled with noise; with music, dancing, laughing, and really dorky jokes being made to groups of friends who were too giggly to notice that they weren't that funny.  
  
Everything was loud and busy and fun.  
  
  
Once the noise of the night died down, or at least enough for people to hear each other, Dan and Phil both found each other back at the table and started to talk.  
  
"So, Phil. What're you gonna to about Ms. Trinket?" Dan inquired, sliding his drink from hand to hand on the table. "She seems to be getting worse; Hazel said she's getting mad that we've been at the hotel for so long."  
  
"She is getting worse," Phil quipped. "She's just a pissy person, and as long as I behave completely, she can't do anything."  
  
Dan quirked his eyebrow. "Behave, Philip," he chuckled.  
  
Phil smiled, shaking his head softly at the joke. He suddenly grew more serious, and held his drink tightly on the table. "Dan?"  
  
"Mhm?" Dan hummed, tapping his fingers on the table.  
  
Phil angled his head. "Do you think I'm an asshole?"  
  
"A little," the other man laughed, his words slurring together and into his laugh. "Not really. Well. Yeah. Kind of. But not a lot."  
  
"My friend seems to think I'm totally heartless." He cast his eyes to the table.  
  
"Hey," Dan reached a hand out to cover Phil's, who looked up as though he were electrocuted. "No one has a heart of stone."  
  
Phil simpered, still finding doubt. "Some might as well."  
  
"You're not-you're not an asshole," Dan said, squinting at the wall as though it could provide the answers for what he was trying to explain to Phil. "You're just, pretty tough. And I'm just pretty," he giggled, leaning into Phil as his laugh made its way to Phil's ears and made him smile.  
  
"You are very pretty," Phil said, smiling at the head that was nearly in his lap.  
  
Dan looked up at him with watery eyes, shining in the light of the bar. "Yeah well, you're like, more...hunky."  
  
Phil's smile was already unfading, and he tried not to laugh at how serious Dan looked. "Oh, yeah?"  
  
"Not in a muscular way," Dan continued, moving back to a sitting position, immensely focused on Phil's face. "Just like, you could probably be passed off as a pissed off body guard or something."  
  
Phil nodded, thoroughly entertained by Dan's rambling. "You're just pretty cute, you know? I mean you have the ability to look hot, but your cheeks are just like rosy right now and-"  
  
"Oh I have the _ability_ ," Dan said, rolling his eyes and taking a sip of his drink. "I'm glad I do, you don't."  
  
Phil gasped. "I'm so offended, I can only look _hunky_ , not hot."  
  
"You said it, not me." Dan shrugged, sipping his drink.  
  
"I said you were hot, nothing about myself."  
  
"You actually just really said I was hot, apparently I'm cute too," he shot back, raising his eyebrow playfully, enjoying seeing Phil get confused by what he was trying to say.  
  
"Whatever," Phil said dismissively, looking away from Dan at a sign on the wall.  
  
Dan latched his fingers onto Phil's shirt. "Don't take it too personally, dude," he said, standing up and stretching. He leaned close to Phil's ear, Phil's hairs on the back of his neck standing up. "I'd totally find you hot, if I were someone you were interested in."  
  
He smiled smugly and raised his eyebrows at him quickly, then moved to the dance floor to hang around the others.  
  
  
When it was getting into the early hours of the morning, and Phil knew he'd hate himself he didn't go and hurry to get his work done, he invited Dan to leave with him. They went around and said goodbye to who was left, a few of Phil's friends giving Dan their numbers so they could all hang out again sometime.  
  
This taxi ride was a bit different, Dan and Phil muttering soft, teasing banter back and forth at each other so the taxi driver couldn't hear. Dan found himself leaning over, grabbing onto Phil's hand, causing both of them to look down a few seconds apart, and Phil to take in a deep breath. Everything was moving so fast and he didn't know if he could handle it but Dan seemed happy and giggly, and that's how he felt deep down, so he let go of all worries.  
  
They got out, still subconsciously holding hands, crashing into the elevator and giggling as they fell against each other on the way up to their floor. Fumbling hands eventually got them into Phil's room.  
  
The two of them sat on the edge of Phil's bed, still talking lazily to each other, looking at each other through their eyelashes.  
  
"Dan," Phil started, setting a hand on Dan's thigh to catch his attention.  
  
"Yeah?" Dan said invitingly, moving closer to Phil, practically leaning on his chest.  
  
"I was thinking about what you said before you left me at the bar," he continued, looking down at the few buttons undone on Dan's shirt, taking in a quick breath as he blinked away. "About being someone I was interested in."  
  
"Mhm," Dan hummed against his ear, already running the fabric of Phil's shirt between his fingers and tugging in a way that was driving Phil crazy. "What were you thinking about it?"  
  
"I'd say you are," Phil said, finally looking at his face to see his reaction, even through his slightly drunken state of mind worrying that this was a mistake, but really just needing to know and able to blame it on his drunkenness, even though he knew he'd sobered up due to eating- but maybe a joke or-  
  
"You would?" Dan said, looking up at him with that god _damn side smirk_ -  
  
"I would." Phil said firmly, squeezing Dan's thigh. "I think that I've been considering for a lot longer than a couple hours."  
  
"You have?" Dan said, leaning further into his shoulder. "You've been thinking about me as someone more than a bother at work?"  
  
"Yes, more than that," Phil gulped, feeling the warmth drawing him nearer; Dan's lips were so close.  
  
"More than even just a friend?"  
  
"I mean-I-I know we've just finally made our way there, but-but yes," Phil answered, his breath coming out in quick chunks that he hoped Dan didn't notice.  
  
Dan licked his lips, moving his hand up to Phil's opposite shoulder to support himself. "And were you planning on ever doing something about it?"  
  
"I wasn't going to because-"  
  
"Phil," Dan said, taking him in with serious, needing eyes. "I strongly advise that you do."  
  
Phil searched his face for a few more moments, feeling as though Dan were a fragile novelty that he wasn't used to having this close, and now that he was thinking about it they were very-  
  
Dan slipped his hand up to Phil's neck, making him look at him. They surveyed each other's eyes for a few minutes, both hoping that the other wasn't going to regret this and both thinking about just how much they wanted it.  
  
Dan initiated it; he pressed their lips together for a sweet, gentle kiss, their lips lucidly colliding against each other for a few moments. When Phil finally pulled away, Dan was nearly on his lap, holding his neck so their faces stayed close. He looked at Phil's lips and back at his eyes, smiling shyly. He breathed out the words against Phil's mouth that finally brought him back to reality.  
  
"Please kiss me."  
  
Phil latched their lips back together, tilting his head and causing Dan to clutch onto his hair, both letting out low groans. Dan's chapped lips caught on Phil's as they held onto each other, Phil pulling Dan onto his lap. The taste of alcohol was noticeable on each of their breaths, and despite this they moved with a sense of need for each other, clinging to each other and moving their lips lazily. Their noses bumped in the heat of their eager motions, hands shaky and longingly pulling on each other's shirts and hair.  
  
Phil moved to hover over Dan, both of them panting and glancing at each other only for a moment before locking their lips once more, Phil pulling his lip back and moving down to kiss Dan's neck, finding from a simple touch just how sensitive it made him. He sucked harshly, Dan digging his nails into the fabric of Phil's shirt, whimpering in his ear, and that's when Phil pulled back.  
  
He realized what he was doing, and he knew that they both were enjoying it and wanted to continue, and he wanted to not care because Dan actually wanted to do this with him, but work would get so much more complicated.  
  
Dan sat back up, kissing at Phil's jaw absentmindedly. "Everything okay?" he asked, moving to kiss Phil's cheek, down near his lips-  
  
"Yeah, fine," he smiled, responding by kissing Dan, and the man put his warm hands on either side of Phil's face and smiled into it.  
  
"I just realized I need to get work done," Phil said apologetically, pulling away, knowing that he'd gotten Dan worked up.  
  
"C'mon, can't it wait until later?" He said flirtatiously, wiggling his eyebrows and trying to lean in again.  
  
"Why don't we finish up some other time?" Phil said, hooking some of Dan's shirt into his hand and kissing him again. Dan's head fell back, inviting Phil's lips to his neck, which he couldn't help placing a few open-mouthed kisses onto. Dan groaned and sat back up.  
  
"Please can we finish now?" Dan asked, linking his arms around Phil's neck. "C'mon, we deserve a little bit of fun, Phil."  
  
Phil had a really hard time saying no. He made a move to connect their lips again, and Dan held on as though for dear life to him.  
  
After a few minutes of simple making out, Phil could tell Dan was frustrated-he was too- but finally managed to get him off his lap, coaxing him into a cheery mood with small pecks and promises that they could finish later.  
  
Dan went back to his room in a daze after finally being able to give Phil a kiss goodnight, plopping back onto his bed happily. He texted Louise excitedly-and definitely drunkenly-responding to a few of her screaming messages in response. He laid back, covering his face, almost able to feel where Phil's hands had been on his body before; almost able to feel his lips kissing, kissing on his neck again. He'd imagined Phil doing this, and he'd pictured them feeling each other in the dark, desperately holding each other-and fuck was it better in reality.   
  
He brushed his teeth cheerily, because he felt extra confident so he wanted to express it, but eventually just fell back on his bed and fell asleep.  
  
Inevitably, Dan woke up with a nightmare, and found that Phil wasn't next to him-that he wasn't even in the same room. He smiled softly as he remembered the night's previous interactions between the two, and decided that this time Phil would hold him, and he could cuddle up with him and feel safe and warm and happy. He knocked on Phil's door, but he didn't answer. Dan frowned, but remembered that Phil gave him his extra key card for just in case. He went back to his own room to search in the dark, eventually finding it on the floor.  
  
He unlocked Phil's door, his face already falling in relief.  
  
But it turned to terror as he realized that Phil wasn't there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was positively my favorite chapter to write yet. I felt a lot more confident with it and ahh!! Shit happened. Please leave kudos if you haven't/comment if you're enjoying the story, please!! Also seriously over 500 hits that's crazy, thank you. (ps happy emo day to all the emos out there reading this).


	11. Chapter 11

Dan frowned, expecting to see the light on, Phil at the small desk finishing work-or even in bed sleeping, at this time. Because he saw none of these things, he grew immediately scared, maybe the nightmare was real, maybe everyone was gonna slowly disappear until he was left alone. Dan shook his head, muttering under his breath, realizing that Phil could just be elsewhere. He knocked on the bathroom door.  
  
"Phil?" he asked softly, his voice coming out like a child asking for their mum. "Phil, are you here?" he asked, after a moment slowly pushing the door open. He put his hand over his eyes, just in case, his hope fluttering as he noticed discarded towels on the ground. He finally moved his hand and looked around the room, everything empty. He saw himself in the mirror and jumped, startled by a face, and scared he'd see another.  
  
"Phil?" he whimpered, checking in the small kitchen area of the room. "God, please, please be here."  
  
He moved around like a ghost, making no noise, careful to move everything with ease.  
  
Once he'd checked everywhere reasonable for a man of over six feet tall to be, he slumped against the doorway. Phil wasn't there, he wasn't there for Dan to come by and possibly cuddle-and maybe sneak in an extra goodnight kiss.  
  
Dan lost all sense of calm he had, closing the door quietly and sprinting back to his room in a paranoid fashion, everything suddenly giving hints that he was being hunted. He turned on his tv and jumped onto the bed, scrambling to bring the covers up to his nose. No, no, no, he couldn't be alone right now.  
  
Why had Phil left him? Where would he possibly have gone at four in the morning?  
  
Dan held his phone tight, ready to dial 999 if something showed a sign of being dangerous. Tears trickled down his face; stress, sleep, terror.  
  
He stared at the possible contacts, biting his lip at Phil's. He looked for anyone similar.  
  
No, not Louise, he'd call her in the morning-or if there _was_ actually an emergency.  
  
Hazel, he could call Hazel. He felt as though Hazel would be more compassionate when he shared his little problem-  
  
Shit. He hadn't shared the fact that he wasn't sleeping than Phil, other than jokes with Louise. He hadn't brought up the serious issues-the night terrors, the deprivation, the need for someone to be there to talk to until he relaxed.  
  
Well, he trusted Hazel more than Jack not to laugh at him. So, after gaining his composure, he dialed Hazel's phone number that she said to ring if he needed. Hell, maybe she knew where he was.  
  
"Hello?" Hazel said, her voice erasing at least a quarter of his panic.  
  
"Hi, Hazel? It's Dan," Dan said, sniffing.  
  
"Oh, Daniel! I apologize, I would have been more polite-I need to remember to put your number in my phone." She paused for a few moments. "What's wrong?" She asked, seemingly knowing that calling in the middle of the night wasn't quite normal for him.  
  
"I-Phil-I can't find Phil," he said, the tears springing back into his eyes at the thought.  
  
Hazel paused for a few moments, and Dan almost repeated himself. "He's not in his room? When did you last see him?"  
  
"Er-" Dan said, his face now heating despite the fact that he was already sniffling and red. "I saw him just when we got back to the hotel. I stayed and talked with him for a few minutes, but then he had to do some work."  
  
"Right, he told me that much," Hazel said, her voice reflecting her confusion. "And he said nothing about leaving?"  
  
"W-so you don't know?"  
  
"I'm sorry Dan, I don't. He just said he'd stay in his room?"  
  
Dan thought back to everything Phil said, but he couldn't remember too much through the alcohol and kissing. "Uh, all he initially said was that he'd work at home, but then he agreed to stay at the hotel in his room."  
  
"Oh," Hazel seemed to be processing. "He agreed. Well, maybe he decided to run home for something anyways. But that's not very like him..."  
  
"Hazel," Dan said, his voice remaining steady. "I really need to find him. Or, at least, for tonight, could you or Jack or someone come stay?" He closed his eyes, thinking to himself that he was sounding ridiculous. "I'm just sort of spooked, you know?"  
  
"Of course, Dan," Hazel nodded. "I'll ask Jack, he's actually awake now doing god know's what. Okay?"  
  
"Yeah, sure," Dan said, noticing his leg jiggling, the watering of his eyes.  
  
Hazel took her mouth away from the phone to talk to Jack, the two having a mini conversation with themselves. "Right, so he'll be heading over as soon as possible, and he'll keep an eye out for Phil on the way. You stay put, okay?"  
  
Dan nodded. He then shook his head quickly, snapping out of his sleepy daze and said, "Right."  
  
"And I'll stay on the phone until he gets there," she said gently. "Even if you want to just keep me on the line. Alright babe?"  
  
"Sounds great, thank you Hazel," Dan said quietly.  
  
They engaged in small talk, but quickly the talk died down as they both were mentally tired at such an ungodly hour. Meanwhile, Dan's mind was driven elsewhere.  
  
Jack finally arrived, and Dan bid goodnight to Hazel, thanking her about a million times.  
  
"Alright buddy, you feeling any better?" Jack asked, stopping in Dan's room.  
  
Dan shrugged, trying to smile despite knowing how honest he could be. "Just wanna figure out what's going on."  
  
"Hopefully Phil won't be too upset if he comes back and finds me in his bed," Jack said jokingly. He cleared his throat. "Oh, speaking of which, do you want me to stay in here with you, or in Phil's room?"  
  
"Oh, um," Dan said quietly. Phil's room was Phil's. It was where he and Dan had laid tenderly in the night, where they talked each other back to sleep, where they finally had a moment. Where he'd return if he came back.  
  
"You could, you know, stay in here if you want," Dan said. "I mean, I'm just freaked out, y'know, and at least I know you're here with my things-Phil has no idea," he smiled weakly.  
  
"Sure, sure, bud." Jack set his things down on the bed that Dan wasn't occupying. "Alright, I'm just gonna head to the bathroom and freshen up, and then I'll be right over here if you need anything." He smiled and then went into the bathroom.  
  
Dan laid back on his bed, feeling groggy and unnerved. He was glad to have Jack-more than relieved to have another person staying with him, instead of having to deal with bad nights on his own like any other person would. But he still felt the lack of Phil.  
  
The lack of a sarcastic being that cared too much about others. The lack of warmth that radiated only in the night when sleepiness took over attitude. The lack of knowing about Dan's case and Dan's private life. The lack of being able to snuggle without it being weird-something that he knew would have happened with Phil, but never got to happen.  
  
Nevertheless, he was grateful.  
  
He bid Jack a peaceful goodnight and asked to keep the tv on for a while, flipping over to his side, and trying to relax his thoughts to finally fall into a deep sleep.  
  
  
In the morning, Dan's head was pounding and he wanted death-not literally, but he definitely wanted more sleep. The two men got themselves ready for the day, and Dan noticed with a dead expression that he'd either do something on his own for the day, or basically shadow Jack.  
  
"Hey Jack, what are you doing today?" Dan asked, looking up from his suitcase, unsure of whether Jack worked any weekends or if he had off.  
  
"Well," Jack started, buttoning up his shirt, "I was planning on having Hazel come around and trying to get a hold of Phil so maybe we could all hang out while we're hungover."  
  
Dan chuckled softly, realizing with a sad heart that he didn't have any pain pills packed. "I hope we find him."  
  
"It's so weird of him," Jack said, shaking his head absently. "He'd never abandon you Dan, he'd never abandon work in general, I just don't know what would have gotten into him."  
  
"He was probably a little drunk and distracted?" Dan shrugged, trying to hide his hurt. "I dunno."  
  
It was Jack's turn to shrug. "Well, we should meet Hazel in the lobby, she's on her way."  
  
  
Dan and Jack met Hazel downstairs, Jack and Hazel embracing shortly. She suggested that they ask to see any camera footage to see if Phil had left through the main doors at any point, knowing they could get approved by the police if needed. They found a worker who found them a manager to talk to about doing so, and it became a huge ordeal to do, and Dan just wanted to go back and lay down, his head throbbing.  
  
Once they contacted the police, they were able to talk it through and were allowed to see the surveillance footage of the lobby and hallways. They watched through the hours of when Dan said he and Phil got back, to the time when he said he tried to find Phil and he wasn't there.  
  
Dan felt a sinking feeling, unsure of what kind of joke this was and extremely unamused.  
  
They thanked the manager, who apologized and said she'd keep an eye out for him, asking for the room number.  
  
"Well," Jack said, pushing open the door for them. "That was uneventful. I don't understand."  
  
Hazel stared at the ground, appearing to be deep in thought. "Maybe he was really good at hiding under the covers-?"  
  
"No," Dan said quickly. "I-I checked, just in case," he admitted.  
  
"Oh," Hazel said, squinting in the light. "Well, I'm not sure. He couldn't have just disappeared though, there's a good chance he just managed to avoid the cameras. Let's check at work, just in case he went there."  
  
And so they drove, Dan volunteering to sit in the back-mostly so he had more room to rest his head and close his eyes.  
  
They ran into work, Hazel checking in quickly.  
  
The trio walked around urgently, checking every corner of every room. Dan felt discouraged, wanting to slump against the wall and cry. Not only from separation, but just plain old frustration.  
  
"What are you three doing here?" Miss Trinket's voice could be heard as they walked towards the exit. She was heading towards them, a smile plastered on her face.  
  
"Oh, I needed to check some of my paperwork," Jack said calmly. "Needed records, you know."  
  
"And you decided to drag Dan along with you? I'm sure he's having the time of his life." She was being overly sarcastic-almost to the point where you couldn't tell.  
  
"It's the most fun I've ever had, clearly," Dan said, playing along with the joke. "Thanks, Jack."  
  
Miss Trinket became less stiff at his pleasant manner. "Okay, well, go out and do something else on the weekend. I'm leaving soon."  
  
Hazel nodded. "Yes ma'am, see you Monday," she said politely.  
  
Miss Trinket bowed slightly and walked to her office.  
  
Jack rolled his eyes. "What a prick."  
  
"She wasn't that unpleasant this time, Jack," Hazel said quietly, slapping his arm.  
  
"You're right, it could have been worse."  
  
Dan cleared his throat. "Hey, guys? Maybe we could check at his house."  
  
They both looked to Dan. Hazel nodded, resting a hand on his shoulder. "Again babe, I'm sure he's doing just fine," she said with floundering confidence.  
  
Dan nodded meekly, and they left to go to his house, which Dan had never properly visited. Hazel and Jack knew where to find the spare key, so they got in easily.  
  


It was more of an apartment, mostly painted grey. It was filled with house plants and cute little trinkets, which Dan walked around and appreciated as he looked around for Phil.  
  
"I bet he's in the kitchen!" Jack joked. "Yo Philly, need some lunch!"  
  
He ran to the kitchen, then walked back to the main living space where Hazel and Dan were waiting.  
  
"Alas, he's not there."  
  
Dan sighed, knowing that Jack's joke probably wouldn't have been real anyways, but wishing that Phil would come back with a sarcastic remark for Jack to make his own lunch. Or with a sandwich. Whatever he was feeling that day.  
  
"Where else does he go..." Hazel pondered softly, looking in his room. "I dunno, maybe we could check another bar or something. Has anyone texted him recently?"  
  
"I've tried calling and texting," Dan admitted. "He's not answering, nothing's going through."  
  
"Maybe he's grocery shopping-"  
  
"Enough with the lunch jokes, Jack-" Hazel groaned.  
  
"I meant it seriously. He has none anyways."  
  
Hazel looked at him like he was the biggest idiot in the world. "He wouldn't just leave Dan to go buy groceries at three in the morning when they serve food at the hotel!"  
  
Jack quieted down. "You're right, sorry." He looked at Dan sympathetically.  
  
Dan pressed his lips together. He just wanted to sit down. "I just need a minute guys, hang on."  
  
Jack and Hazel both nodded, going to look more in the small bathroom and closet spaces for Phil, even though they all knew he wasn't there. They just wanted to give Dan space.  
  
He felt a pit in his stomach, he was regretting things. He regretted not staying and talking with Phil about what they were feeling, because they clearly both felt something. He didn't want to have to wonder forever. He wished he'd asked Phil how long he'd be awake, maybe text him when he was done so that he could come back.  
  
There were so many ways he could have helped to avoid this situation, and he did none of them. And he felt like a douche for it.  
  
Dan called Louise, hoping for consolation and reassurance and everything good from her.  
  
"Heya Bear, what's going on?" Louise asked softly, using the nickname only because it was a soft moment. "Did he dump you?"  
  
"No, no-" Dan groaned, already wanting to end it. "I just woke up and he wasn't there," he explained.  
  
Louise stopped for a grand pause, saying, "Dan, that sounds like-"  
  
"No, Lou, listen," he said, explaining everything from the whole night, starting from when they separated at the hotel and ending at where he currently was.  
  
"Oh," Louise said quietly. "I'm so sorry, sweetie, I haven't seen him or anything. I can look around, but no. I'm sure he's fine, right? He does plenty of stuff on his own."  
  
"But he'd never just not tell me," Dan insisted. "He'd at least text me to let me know he was going out."  
  
Louise's side of the call started crackling. "I dunno, Bear. I'll try and get a hold of him too, but you'd have better luck than me. Listen, I have to go put Darcy down for bed, but call me if you figure out anything, okay? Keep me updated."  
  
Dan agreed and hung up.  
  
"Dan, there's still nothing," Jack sighed.  
  
"We're going to have to admit to Miss Trinket that he's disappeared," Hazel said. "Maybe she knows."  
  
Dan looked down. "Right, okay," he agreed. "Maybe, I hope so."  
  
Hazel walked over and opened her arms, inviting him for a hug. He accepted, holding on tight, trying his best and incredibly failing at not crying onto her shoulder.  
"Sorry," Dan quickly said, wiping his tears away with his thumb. "I just miss my family and-"  
  
"Dan," Hazel said seriously, "You've had him around every day for the past week. It's okay to miss him."  
  
Dan took in a shaky breath. He felt it. He missed him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey there! thank you all for the lovely comments, they make my day so much better. please comment/leave kudos if you're enjoying :)


	12. Chapter 12

It was the kind of darkness that consumes a person. The kind that wraps around their very being like a warm, old blanket of anxiety. The kind that makes them think that someone else is there. The kind that causes too many thoughts to be thought and too many feelings to be felt. It consumes them, makes them feel as though their very own being isn't real.  
  
This is what Phil woke up to. His head was pounding, and he reached up to it. His hands? His hands seemed confined, and he cursed himself. He was sure his head was just pounding due to an unavoidable hangover, but everything surrounding him confused him-mostly because he had no idea where he was and why it was so dark.  
  
Work, work. He was doing work. His mind was preoccupied but on autopilot as he filled out papers. His mind filled with the taste of Dan's lips, the feel of his hands, the eagerness they had shown and that he felt, wanting the other man to come back desperately.  
  
But he had fallen asleep. Deep, deep, asleep. Everything washed away, nothing left for him to do, everything taken care of and gone.  
  
Everything hit him when he woke. Work, thoughts of Dan, where was he, his coworkers? His friends? Where were they? Were they too in a new world? Trapped in a darkness one can only experience on their own?  
  
Maybe they were with him. Maybe they surrounded him at this very moment, not able to speak-or not wanting to. Things could get so confusing, especially when feelings and thoughts were involved. Why everyone wasn't just robots? Well, probably because everyone is made by procreation, not a single other human. Because we're meant to feel, we're meant to breathe in and out all the new feelings the world has to offer-they come at such a quick available rate.  
  
Life didn't make sense, it almost refused to for Phil. It was a world of madness and sleep-deprived zombies, but zombies that could still feel-for the most part. They were tired but they still tried to do things for their family, to stay sane for their friends.  
  
There were the crazy ones who didn't care about anything except keeping themselves entertained.  
  
_That's not a new concept_ , he thought to himself. _Plenty of old Romans loved it._  
  
There were humans who didn't care if they hurt other humans. It was just like a smashing a little bug with their foot-not causing too much of a difference, someone that can be replaced, possibly even doing good in their eyes.  
  
Even more scary were the ones who did it for fun. Who got too bored with regular activities and wanted to take out bad ones on other living things, humans in particular. If there were any people who couldn't be afraid of the night, couldn't be afraid of anything-it was those who couldn't feel remorse. For they're the most pitiful souls there are.  
  
And Phil was sure he'd heard of them. There were crazies in all different eras of the world, and of course there were some in recent generations, so who was to say there were none around then? The kind who could lurk, waiting for an innocent victim to play their deadly game with.  
  
He was somewhat fascinated by how little these people felt, just because he couldn't understand what could screw up a person so much psychologically. It's why he had his job-he saw the worst of the worst. Well, maybe not _the worst_ , but very bad. It was weird to work around and positively terrifying, but it helped to learn about human nature. And who knew, if there was a pattern in all of these people, maybe there could be an end to it all.  
  
An end. Everything does have to come to an end. There can be memorials and reminiscing, but it doesn't stop the fact that what once was was gone.  
  
Phil was sometimes afraid that he was gone. He was scared not that he'd be the newest cannibal or anything, just that he'd let himself go and everything he used to be was gone. Constantly he was told that was a lie which he hoped was true, and he knew that there were still parts of him that were gone, but always a little part of him worried that he had too stressful a job and what he would see would change him.  
  
It already had. It made him more mature in a lot of aspects, which is what scared him. He was glad he could be more serious when the situation called for it, but he didn't want to be a stickler. He still wanted to be able to joke around with a group of good people.  
  
And luckily, that's what his friends brought out in him. Of course, the best, and every small bit of jaded happiness that existed.  
  
Dan was so good at doing this as well. There was almost jealousy in Phil because of Dan's ability to sass with ease and expect playfulness. Also, he knew just when to be serious, and had his bad moments.  
  
And God, did Phil miss him. He missed the taste of his lips, the feel of him, but most of all, just him. And being in a scary place with no light flirting or joking from anyone was going to be hard.  
  
Phil tried to move his legs. They felt stuck, almost glued. He could, however, feel something suspiciously rough against his pants, and he rubbed his legs together.  
  
Okay, so he couldn't move. Wonderful. Anxiety levels flew through the roof and he held on to whatever he could to stabilize himself in the insane darkness.  
  
Phil didn't want a Hazel situation. He did not. For obvious reasons of course. He felt bad thinking it, but anyone would. She was affected so poorly by it and sure, she was recovering, but was still in the process. The bad thing was he had a sinking feeling that it was something similar.

Phil's head snapped up as he heard something...outside a door? Was he in a room? Probably, he just felt encompassed by something else. Phil's nails dug into his palm as he listened for more footsteps, hearing them approach as he wondered what kind of person he would be dealing with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey there kids! i'd just like to say thanks so much for all the reads, kudos, and comments. it all means a lot and im so glad i got to see my story get to 666 reads ;) anyways, it's just really cool and i just wanna say thanks to everyone who's been reading this story and has stuck around, and anyone new who's started reading. thanks!


	13. Chapter 13

Dan was living on coffee.

  
Hazel and Jack permanently were staying in the room across the hall, but Dan never wanted to go bother them. He did when he really needed it, and they were really nice about it; they just sat awake and talked about things until he was calm again. But other than that, he just stayed in his room and calmed himself down for a long time, but sometimes it was so long that he hardly slept anymore at all.  
  
Jack and Hazel were very good at changing the subject and keeping up their work. Dan felt like a child tagging along.  
  
Phil was in many of his dreams. He was part of what scared Dan now.  
  
Well, not Phil himself-he yearned for Phil to be back with him. The dreams are what scared him. It would start out with one of many assorted fantasies that Dan had before about them; soft dates over tea, cuddles on a comfy couch with many blankets and tv, as well as visions of his slightly blurred face in a dimly lit bar. However, eventually things would change. Phil would just disappear, he'd suddenly start stalking Dan, he'd go away in a wisp of smoke. Dan would call out for him endlessly, would beg for him to go back to normal, to come back to him. However in these dreams, he would never see Phil again, or at least never as the person he once had been, but now a monster-something created by the hands of someone else.

  
He wish he knew what it meant, but despite hours of research online, he couldn't figure it out.

  
Most of the time, Dan still kept up modeling. The director of the shoot questioned him a few times about his eyebags and whether he felt prepared enough to perform for the camera, but he desperately defended his case. Said he was just busier than usual but he could still handle it, he promised.  
  
The question at hand for Dan was: could he really handle it?  
  
Things were getting weirder for him, including his mannerisms. His hands were more fidgety, his eyes bloodshot, his head pounding with frustration and fatigue. This was of course not helped by the fact that he'd lost 'the one protecting him the most', but it wasn't just caused by it. Miss Trinket made a point to tell him, Hazel, and Jack, that they were finding an intense lead on the gang and they were definitely going into a full-fledged investigation soon, and that they would be seeking them out. And who knew what would happen to them? Dan would have to stay behind and hope his other friends weren't in too bad of danger. It was quite the contradiction; he wanted it all to be over but he didn't want to see the actions needed to carry that out.  
  
There was the day of the mental breakdown. It started out as a fairly regular day: Dan woke up, this morning with a below average amount of sleep, going to get his coffee. Jack and Hazel were downstairs waiting for him as per usual, and they greeted him quietly, which he appreciated, especially in the morning. They didn't hover and they didn't over sugarcoat everything, but they knew when to draw the line of what to talk about around him-usually. But as they sat in the lobby of the hotel munching on whatever they happened to be serving for breakfast that day, Marcus texted him again.  
  
Dan slammed his phone on the table, which was luckily a lot more anti-climatic than it would seem, but his crying was not. Jack took him outside while Hazel sat and read the texts, and Dan looked in and could see her frowning. It was not the time. Dan knew they had a deal, but he wasn't required to do it any time that Mark wanted it. He definitely wasn't emotionally stable enough, and requesting for Hazel or Jack to come with him would be a _bit_ much, so he wasn't okay enough to do it.

  
Jack tried to just sit him down and talk calmly about how he wanted to get out of the situation, and Dan tried to articulate answers back, but mostly just mumbled until he started crying again and Jack helped him breathe.  
  
Hazel came out after several minutes of this and the manager of the hotel coming to see her, and she asked Jack to go sit with their stuff.  
  
"Dan? Babe," she said softly, leaning up against the side of the hotel with him, putting a hand on his shoulder.  
  
Dan closed his eyes and leaned his head back on the wall, feeling extra dramatic, but all in good reason. "What, Hazel?"  
  
"He texted you, yes," she said, "and in bad timing, but just tell him no."  
Dan was already humiliated, not wanting to share his personal life with so many people-or at least the worst sex life possible. The fact that she read through the texts made it worse.  
  
"I tried to last time, and that's when he got creepy. He just knew where I was somehow."

Hazel very visibly frowned. "That's not good." She thought for a few moments. "Maybe I should take it to the police and have it checked out."

Dan's head shot up. "What? Why?"

"Well, he could be stalking you, that's creepy."

Dan groaned. "No way, c'mon, he used to be really nice and-"

"He used to, how long has it been?" Hazel inquired.

Dan scoffed. "I mean, a while," he said. "But what could have changed?"

"A lot can change in a while," Hazel insisted, and Dan couldn't help but overthink that it was targeted towards his life.

"Okay, fine, go ahead," he said.

Hazel nodded. "Well, what do you want to say to get him to go away?"

"I-I don't know," he shrugged. "I wasn't planning on it, I don't want to deal with it."

"That's," Hazel said, and Dan could see she was holding back. "Okay, we can try ignoring him for now. Come on, let's go to work." She stood up and offered her hand to him.

She went in to get Jack, and the trio was off to work again.

Dan usually went into Phil's office and slept when they went to work, at least for the first while. It was time consuming, and just hanging around could be extremely boring. Besides, it helped him sleep better knowing that Phil had been there, there were still traces of his neat handwriting and pictures and a scarf he left there. Dan usually took the scarf, got comfy either in the spinny chair or on the floor, and got cozy with the scarf. Luckily, when he was just on the chair, he seemed to be dozing. When Jack walked in on Dan sleeping on the floor once, he seemed to be straining himself to not laugh. Dan was just tired.  
  
So Dan went with his usual routine, getting the scarf and getting comfortable on the chair. He was saddened by the fact that Phil's smell was slowly going away, but it was still there, and so Dan could imagine that he still was as well.

Hazel came in a few hours later, finding Dan just on his phone, the scarf discarded on the floor. She seemed urgent.

"Come on, let's get going," she said quickly.

"It's time to leave already? Damn," he said, looking at the clock.  
  
"Yep," she said. "Let's go Jack!"

Jack came, followed by Miss Trinket, and the two of them sighed heavily.

"I think it's a strong possibility they took him-" she was saying, then looked at Dan. "Oh hello, dear, how have you been?"

"You think what?" Dan asked.

Jack shook his head. "It's not-"

"Maybe we should-?" Hazel started.

"and the gang probably wanted to-" Miss Trinket was saying.

"What?" Dan said again, loudly.

"I think that our biggest threat has Mr. Lester," Miss Trinket said strongly.

"What-you think-"

"They have him, Dan."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks a bunch for reading and commenting!!


	14. Chapter 14

Dan sputtered, his entire mind reeling. Not the people of his nightmares, no, they couldn't have the cure. "What makes you think that?"

  
"Well," Miss Trinket began in a very self-possessed manner, "I've been reviewing all security tapes that I could access from the hotel and surrounding areas and...there's one from the restaurant next door and it looks a lot like him. Dark setting, almost a shadow, but: it's between the times you saw him last and when you went back to his room, and-" she said almost excitedly, "on the same date. Looks just like him, I swear to it. So-"

  
"It's really just back to the basics, at this point," Hazel explained, elaborating. "We really have to hone in on where they could be to try and take them down and find Phil. It's a far more urgent mission now, and we already have our eyes on a few places."

  
Dan sighed, his shoulders sagging, though quite relieved at Hazel picking up the conversation. Miss Trinket sounded proud about what she found, which Dan realized could be because she was glad to find one of her greatest workers-but it was too happy. All that he could feel was regret and shame that he didn't try to stay with him. His face got warm with frustration and embarrassment.

  
"Well, how long do you project it to be before you can actually start going to these places and investigating?" Dan questioned, looking between the three experts in front of him. "The longer we leave him...who knows what'll happen." And he didn't want to think about it.

  
"We know, Dan," Miss Trinket said, moving her hands from behind her back to reveal a clipboard.

  
"We're really narrowing it down," Jack assured him. "We've stayed up to work on it."

  
Dan frowned, looking up at him. "H-How long have you known?"

  
"Just about a day," Jack said. "But I know that I've been able to follow cameras and find a few definite places to check out."

  
"So when will you be able to?"

  
"Very soon if we really try, but we have to definitely work on it. Dan, is there any way that you can hang out with Louise?" Jack said, looking at him with a look of pity. "I know we said we were gonna go, but if you want us to find him, some extra time would help. And we'd be more than willing to do it."

  
Dan realized then that that's how everyone would look at him from now on, from now until when-if- they found Phil. And that he always had to have someone around. He cleared his throat and shook his head, wanting to prove that he could be fine. "No, that's okay. I have some running around to do, but I'll have my phone on in case of an emergency, okay?"

  
Hazel looked at him hesitantly, looking between Jack, who was looking at the floor, and Miss Trinket, who was scribbling away on her clipboard, blowing hair out of her face.

  
"Yes, Dan, go ahead, but update one of us as to where you are every hour or so, okay?"

  
"Of course."

  
Dan gathered his things and waved goodbye, bundling up against the biting cold outside. It wasn't too snowy out, but the air was freezing and Dan was one to get cold fairly easily.

  
Being that it was only a bit after Christmas, many buildings and parks still had lights up, and many shops still had seasonal drinks for the profit off holiday season. Dan invested in one of these and decided to look around at the scenery, at the lights, as dusk was beginning to fall and it was a beautiful night. He almost couldn't be afraid of the night when it looked like this outside.

  
Dan's thoughts, of course, eventually drifted to Phil, but now he did anything to keep him away. Now he knew that Phil was in the hands of harm and possible death and he didn't want to feel anything. He didn't want to feel the pain attached to that and he didn't want to worry and he didn't want to cry. He wanted one normal day but he wanted Phil there for it-

  
Goddamn, he couldn't stop. Of course he always fucked up and he never was able to fix it, but that was just who he was. He disappointed so many people and couldn't fucking have one person who he thought got it, who he thought could get him, oh no. He had to actually have this person taken by people who murdered.  
But of course, it was always a fucking pity party to him. He never took other people into consideration, like Hazel and Jack, who worked so hard to keep him safe and to find Phil. Or Phil himself, was he even truly worried for him-?

  
Yes, yes, he knew he was. He knew that despite the fact that they had gotten more intimate and Phil was a comfort to him, he would have cared regardless. He would have cared because he gave a shit about Phil. And Phil cared about him from the start and through it all and Dan owed so fucking much to him, but how could he give it back to him? Especially now?

  
He hoped Phil didn't think that it was just a drunken almost-hookup. There were more than just sexual feelings and the only time he got to tell Phil was when he was tipsy and neither of them was sensible enough to know exactly what the other meant. Phil never got to know what he meant and Dan was left to wonder as well.

  
Dan was sure he'd felt the connection. He could feel that Phil wanted him through his touch and the awkward fleeting glances preceding their strongest moment. Phil had treated him with a level of romantic and sensual intensity he wasn't used to and Dan loved every fucking second of it, he loved the need and the passion and the attraction. There was a pull, and he hoped that Phil could feel it too.

  
As it got darker out, Dan found himself getting more nervous and paranoid and he ducked into a Starbucks. He ordered himself another drink but asked for the keys to the bathroom. In there, he finally faced himself in the mirror.

  
And like every book and movie cliche he'd ever read, he was fairly disappointed in what he saw. On the outside he could still mostly see himself; his hair was still its wavy dark brown-the wave needed fixed, but, that was okay-his face pale seemingly only because of the weather. He looked at his hands and his body but everything looked okay except for what he saw the rest of himself with. His eyes looked heavy, as though they could weigh down his skull any second. He leaned in towards the mirror and noticed something dark on his neck-something in him sparked with a small piece of happiness-a hickey Phil had left. It was fading-and fast-but he could still see it, and he touched a few fingers to it, smiling happily at the memory it had left. It was hidden behind the point of his earlobe and as he touched it, he could remember Phil's lips being there.

  
He didn't feel the tears until they were dribbling down his nose and his chin.

  
Dan exited the bathroom and accepted his drink, his actual name on the cup because he was saving silly names for next time he came with Phil. After sitting for a few minutes and sipping quietly, reminiscing as he always did to keep himself fairly sane, he called Hazel and asked if she and or Jack could pick him up. He had kept them updated throughout the night and now he really didn't want to pay for a taxi.

  
They came and accepted him into the car, Jack driving, and Hazel immediately turned around to face Dan.

  
"Dan! We think we know where to look. We're gonna send two teams out to look in two places we're really considering, and I think we're really close to finding Phil and getting them imprisoned."

  
Dan took a bit to process all that was being said. He could feel tension and excitement rising in his chest. They were gonna find him. "Really?"

  
"Yep, we're gonna look tomorrow. We can figure out how it's gonna work then, but I thought you should know."

  
Dan beamed, for the very first time in a while feeling hope. He nodded and sank back into his seat, finally almost content-he would be fully okay as soon as they saw Phil again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey! so first off, thanks for commenting and voting, it really means a lot!! second, this is really close to one thousand hits which is scary but amazing! thanks so much for reading!!


	15. Chapter 15

And so the day came. Dan hardly slept the night before-but this time out of anxious excitement. The chances of finding Phil were high and they would get him back, they could get it finally, and even just this bit of hope was much better than where they had been. Not knowing where Phil was, where he'd gone, why he'd left-all of that was solved. Rather, they had leads. And Dan was told to try to get some rest pointlessly, because he spent all night eating little snacks and watching tv and mostly watching how slow the time could go by.

He was startled by his phone going off. A chocolate bar in hand, his phone in the other, the beginning of drool in the corner of his lip-he was almost proud that he'd managed to doze. As he saw the incoming call from Hazel, he quickly answered, clearing his throat before gruffly saying,

"Morning!"  
"Good morning, Daniel. Ready for today?" She sounded like she'd been up for a while and had had at least seven coffees.

"I dunno," Dan said. "What's in it for me?"

She paused for a few moments, letting out a noise between a chuckle and a sigh, which made him really wonder. "A whole lot of waiting. Get much rest?"

Dan shook his head, then said, "W-well, no-"

"Good, you can catch up. Trust me, it's gonna be boring."

"I'm gonna be anxious the entire time, Hazel. You could find him!" Dan heard himself sound defensive, then move to joyous.

"Well babe, if you want to, you can always take some medicine or something to sleep. I wouldn't recommend it though," Hazel sighed a bit. Then she perked back up. 

"Okay buddy, if you don't need anything, just remember to call Ms. Trinket because my phone will be off. Anything you need now?"

"Nope, I'm okay," he said.

"Catch ya on the flip side, buddy," Hazel said.

"Bye!" Dan said brightly, then hung up.

Dan took in a breath, ready to take on the wait of the day.

There were several people going out that Dan had come to know, and he had thanked them all personally, though he knew it wasn't all for him. He just felt like they did deserve a little extra thanks for doing so much that put them in danger. He didn't understand how someone could do such work-well he did, but he knew he'd never be able to put himself in that kind of position. He was too much of a screamer.

Speaking of work, he managed to work out an appointment to go in that day, and he was excited to, so long as he could get a safe ride. Public transport was risky as of late in his life. It worked though, he was part of the group that was least likely to get harassed at all really, which he knew. So as long as literal criminals weren't on public transportation, he was okay-but he still preferred Louise.

As soon as he got in the car, Louise was on his case. "Danny! They're going to find your husband!" She teased lightly, knowing when to observe if he was gonna cry. However, seeing as he had called sounding like he'd just won some free cakes, she seemed trusting that he was in a good mood.

Dan's face flushed a bit. "He's not, Louise, we can't get married that quick."

"So you agree?"

"What?"

"That you're gonna get married?" She said in the tone of another blonde by the name of 'Regina'.

Dan shoved her in her seat slightly. "Shut up," he laughed. "God, I'm so happy. I really hope they find him, Lou. I really do."

"You never even told me what happened!" Louise said, starting up her car. It was clear why; he wasn't exactly ready to talk about his moment of passion with Phil when he was in potential danger. "I really wanna know, Dan, especially since you doubted my senses."

"We were flirting a lot at this bar we went to with some friends, and then he said we were going back to the hotel and all of the sudden I was in his room and then we were making out." He sighed happily. "He even left a mark."

"Really?" Louise said, giggling like they were in high school and receiving their first ever hickies. "That's hot, your handsome bodyguard grinding up on you."

Dan's face went red again, and he cleared his throat. "Y-yeah, it was nice."

"Dan, you know what I want to hear."

He mumbled something under his breath, to which she raised her eyebrows in the mirror.

"Okay, you were right," he admitted, unable to even find a want to roll his eyes at her pushiness. "You were right and I'm a lot happier in the state of you being right. I can't wait for them to find him."

"Me either, baby, I have to properly make sure he's fit for this," Louise joked.

Dan smiled as he felt wonderfully ecstatic, finally.

 

At work, Dan mostly helped new interns around the complex. They had a few new ones here and there, some wanting to learn to work with cameras, others actually observing the models for some sort of study. Dan did a mini shoot, something that his boss was considering adding in as part of the spring issue, which Dan totally rocked. The makeup was very sweet; highlighter illuminating his cheekbones, a little wisp of mascara, and a bit of gloss on the lips. And he found the outfits truly endearing. They were pastel and light and airy, so full of a feeling of spring-basically he was thankful there was heating in the building.

Once he finished his actual work, there were some young students who the boss had following people around for the day. This helped to keep Dan focused, even if his mind wandered off some of the time, the young lady at his side managed to keep him on track. If anything, he just appeared more cheery and willing to help as he led her around.

He was assigned a young lady, a girl of about 21, who was rather insightful but quiet. She was cut out for the job, she had such a naturally beautiful face that would make anyone want to drink more water, and she was so sweet and had the cutest laugh. Dan could tell from his few years of experience that she would do well as long as she could learn to break out of her shell.

"This is a room you're gonna need to get used to, it's where they make you look truly amazing no matter what-trust me, these people work magic," he said, and was almost comforted by the fact that the girl was so nervous she giggled at any joke he said.

"Now, I'm going to say this-the camera is no longer your enemy, it will be your friend." He let her take a moment to let that soak in. "People always complain that the camera adds a few pounds-this is true, but you need to trust the people who work the camera as your new best friend, and they'll honestly help you. Because they want you to look good too."

She nodded a little bit, tucking a string of short brown hair behind her ear. "Do you get used to it? Being in front of people? Because I don't mind performing, but cameras have always made me a little nervous, and I don't want that anymore."

"Well, if you don't want it, then I promise you'll get over it. You're gonna have to face the fear of letting others make you look good instead of yourself and then stepping in front of that camera alone. But yes, after the first time it becomes easier, and sometimes you get to do shoots with other people!" Dan answered with a smile, encouraging her the best he could. "That can be really fun as long as the person is nice."

She smiled, almost sighing in relief. "Thank you," was all she said, and so they continued.

When the day was over, Louise came to pick him up and get him a milkshake. He picked a strawberry one and they parked outside of the small restaurant.

"Alright, I'm officially allowed to wait for a call," Dan huffed, pulling out his phone.

Louise smiled and pet his face softly. "I like this look on you," she chuckled, trying to keep him distracted from appearing too poignant.

"Thanks," Dan dimpled, blowing his hair from his face. "They always wipe a bit off, it just never comes completely on one try."

"Oh, wow, like many other things," Louise started cracking up. Her wonderful sounds of laughter filled Dan's ears, causing him to smile as he noticed his phone ringing.

"Hi? Hazel? Is he there?" Dan asked urgently, not bothering with much small talk at all.  
Louise calmed down.

"No, I'm sorry Dan," she said, and his entire bubble of happiness deflated. "But we still have one more place to check. I just-everyone wants to go in for the night-"

"Please, Hazel, I'll even go, we need to find him," he said, his voice coming out clogged with tears. Louise put her hand out and Dan took it.

Hazel sighed. "I don't know if I can let you do that, babe, but me and Jack can't go alone. We can't just have two people."

"Please, Hazel. Please. We were gonna find him," Dan's voice trailed off, and he covered his newly smudged makeup from his face, covering his eyes.

"Tomorrow, I promise Daniel. Listen. We're gonna go into work, and you're coming with us, and we'll talk to Miss Trinket. It'll be fine, if Phil's made it this long he can go one more night," Hazel promised, making Dan sniffle. "We'll see you tomorrow in the lobby, Dan, and if you want us tonight, you know where we are."

"Th-thanks Hazel. Really, I'm sorry, thank you." He hung up and sobbed into Louise's shoulder, who stroked his back without question.

They sat there for a while, and the only thing Dan could wonder was how many more times fate could tempt him. They were so fucking close. Louise managed to pull his thoughts away after a few minutes and all he could do was cry into her shoulder, and she radiated warmth and love. The pair held each other, accepting the problems, really having missed each other's company-and Dan really appreciated Louise's for right then.

"Thanks I-I'm sorry," Dan apologized, wiping his face once more and looking into the mirror, while Louise started driving. "I just-"

"Remember Bear, never apologize for your feelings unless it hurts someone. It's okay."

"I just don't know what to do."

"You make it through tomorrow. Right? Accept that right now, because you could be seeing him in less than 24 hours. Think like that rather than not having him right  
now."

"Okay."

 

Dan went to his room, getting ready for bed in a rut. He laid down in his bed despite the fact that he knew he wouldn't sleep, not while he knew Phil was still in the hands of monsters. Nevertheless he tried to take advice to calm down, forcing himself to drift off.

Even though he had a nightmare, he woke up the next morning and felt something shift. This had to be the day. If Phil wasn't found today, they were starting over. And Dan was not ready for that, he already just craved more sleep.

He got dressed in some snazzy dark clothes, walking down to the lobby to meet Hazel and Jack. He grabbed a cup of juice, accepting this day, finding Hazel and Jack sitting at a small table. He greeted them with a small smile, not sitting down.

"Ready?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry if this has any typos! this story has hit over 1000 hits which is nuts! thanks against for all of your lovely comments and the kudos, it's very much appreciated.


	16. Chapter 16

Hazel drove Dan and Jack to work, meeting several different agents there. Dan, while being one of the tallest, tried to sneak through several of them-it didn't work out well. The only person he wanted to see in that moment was Miss Trinket. Luckily he managed to break away from the crowd getting ready to go look for Phil, and he searched around for her office. Once he found it, he knocked on the door.

After a moment, Miss Trinket appeared from behind the door. "Oh, hello Daniel. If you saw, we're sending several people out right no-"

"I know," he said. He tried to appear more stately than he had in months, using his rather significant height difference over her. "I want to go with them, Miss Trinket."

Miss Trinket looked up at him, a frown creasing her brow. "Daniel, that is certainly not allowed."

Dan bit his lip back and closed his eyes for a moment. "Please? I really want to see him if they find him, and besides, there may not be anyone there."

"Yes, however, we've lost people before Dan," she said, shaking her head. "Don't you know what happened to Hazel? I can't take the risk of having anything happen to you, imagine that lawsuit! And besides, I don't want you to get hurt."

He looked down at the boss, then to the floor. Though he couldn't tell if this was the first time she sounded like she cared about him, he knew he couldn't get hurt.

"What if I stayed in the car? They'd never have to know I was there, I mean," he shrugged. "Couldn't that work?'

As disgruntled as Miss Trinket seemed, she looked up at him and tried to smile. "I don't know, dear." She sighed, pinching her nose. "I really don't think I can approve, Dan-"

"C'mon, please? If not, I'll just drive next to them-"

"You won't be driving at all!"

"I'll get Louise," he said defensively. "I know the worst that could happen, Miss Trinket. I'm accepting it. I'll stay in the car if you really want, but please let me go?"

"Bring Hazel to me," she said, waving him away.

Dan walked to Hazel with a pep in his step, and stayed back to go on his phone while she talked Miss Trinket.

After several minutes, Hazel came back, shoving the sleeves of her shirt up. "Everyone ready to go?"

And with those words, everyone started to walk out.

"Hold up," she said, "this little buddy is coming with us too." She took hold of Dan's arm, forcing him to stand up.

"Really?" Dan asked, looking to her with a pure grin.

"Yeah buddy, but you've got to wear every piece of protective gear I can find, and a small weapon-no guns, and stay in the van," Hazel answered, as though reciting it from the top of her head. "Got it?"

Dan nodded, and was led out to the van with everyone else.

Once they found a bulletproof vest, some gloves, and a small knife for Dan, everyone crowded into the back of something that resembled a mini moving van. Hazel sat near the front, telling directions to their driver, and Dan sat next to Jack, anxiety building in his chest.

"Hey Jack?" Dan muttered, breaking the silence between them. "Could-uh-"

"What?" Jack asked, staring at the side of the van in front of them.

Dan couldn't help it, he'd heard so much about it, and he needed to know what Miss Trinket didn't want him to go through. "What happened to Hazel?" he asked quietly, not wanting to bother Hazel by bringing it up to her.

And then he couldn't help but notice Jack slightly deflate. The way his eyes trailed down the wall. "She uh," he started, then took a deep breath. "One day, she was trying to save this poor little boy, he was taken while he was out with his parents." Dan nodded a bit, trying to encourage him to carry on. "And we found him, we found who had him. She and several other people went to get him, and she was taken." Dan looked to the floor, saying, 'oh' softly and letting Jack continue. "She was gone for just under two days, until we could get into the house. When we found her, she was totally-" he looked away from Dan completely. "She was battered, her hair torn out in spots, bruised-it was bad."

Dan interjected, "I'm really sorry, that's...that's horrific," when Jack paused for a minute.

"It took her a really long time to recover, but she's getting there," he said, finally looking to Dan and nodding. "She's gonna be fine."

And Dan couldn't help but feel that Jack was trying to offer him some comfort.

Hazel got them all to where they were headed, an empty, run-down building that the city seemed to not care about whatsoever. It was made of brick, but there appeared to be mold and cracks running along the sides. Dan gulped as the doors were opened.

"Alright, everyone out," a tall, ginger man said. The team of people started emptying out of the van. Dan took hold of Hazel's wrist.

"Hi, sorry, could I please go in? I'll stay behind someone, I promise," he said, and didn't let her interrupt just yet. "And I'll run out if things look bad."

Hazel just took his hand and led him outside, introducing him to a tall man named Jerry who was one of the only people taller than Dan there. "Don't tell Miss Trinket, or I swear I'll be fired. Be safe Dan, hide, if you see a fucking sign of a gun you duck or run, got it? No dilly-dallying."

He nodded vigorously, getting behind Jerry, who just started walking with the rest of the crowd.

The building was a mess. It was in shambles. On certain floors, parts of the ceiling caved in, and the floor was wet or cracked in most areas. It switched between tiled flooring and just plain cement, and it was a large floor. The group didn't split up as they all walked around examining every corner in the building. Everyone moved silently on expert feet, which made Dan nearly piss his pants, because he was afraid that he would cause someone, everyone, a death. He managed to remain sly enough, though.

Time seemed to drag on. A pit formed in Dan's stomach, one that made him feel as though every worry was coming alive: they had no idea where the hell Phil was, and they would be starting all over again.

He kept his composure, following the crew with any leads they thought they had, remaining behind Jerry.

As they got to the seventh floor, if Dan was counting right, they heard a sound from above, and everyone's head snapped up. A few glances were shared, and suddenly everyone was sneaking upstairs.

In a hallway, leading to who knew what, Dan held his breath. He didn't let go of it for one second, not as everyone else seemed to be, and not as the door was opened. As all nine people got into the room, their weapons up, Dan nearly held on to Jerry. This was where his anxiety was at its peak.

But then he got into the room, practically falling into it. All he could see was cement, there were pillars and the ceiling was cracked and the ground was cement. There seemed to be torn bits of carpeting here and there. There were so many windows in the room-it could have been a huge office space-that he could see, he felt less clogged. There was the view outside...

Then he noticed. Dan saw the figure in front of them, the reason everyone stopped where they were. It was Phil, and Dan's entire everything was lifted. There he was, Dan could just hug him, hold him for days-

Except then everything inside him sank.

Phil's eyes were practically ringed with grey, appearing as though he hadn't slept, as though the bags could drag his eyes to the ground. His entire being was woozy, so much so that he didn't actively ask for help from his colleagues, just appeared to have been woken up by them. He was gazing blearily between a few people, and Dan's heart skipped about seven beats when he thought Phil saw him.

A member of their team slowly approached him, trying to talk to him in a quiet voice, and that's when Phil's eyes widened, and he shook his head. He closed them as though he felt some impending doom, which he did, they all noticed, when four men came running out of another hall at the other side of the room.


	17. Chapter 17

And there they stood, facing off with the current most dangerous threat to them. Dazed with shock, both sides stared at each other, while Phil sat defeated and bruised in his small, broken chair. Dan did his best to follow directions and remain behind his companions, especially now that there was literal danger. But seeing Phil in this state was startling him to the core, forcing his feet to take small steps forward. Jack put his hand on his chest to stop him from making a scene.

"This is it," the largest man snarled to them, despite there being far more of them. He was around forty, hair sparsely decorating the top of his head, and he had the face of a truly cruel person, all malice and no mercy. "You'll all be dead before you know it."

At this, Phil noticeably sagged in his chair. Tears were visible in his eyes, and the man standing next to him punched his back, which Dan could hear the impact of. Phil sat back up immediately, obeying. Dan didn't realize until then, but he was also crying. He wanted Phil back. And right then, right at that moment, they were so fucking close to having him and instead of a happy reunion, Dan had to watch his bodyguard, his friend, his who the hell knows what-he was important, and Dan had to watch him submit to this horrendous authority. Having to watch these guys harass Phil was hurting Dan more and more, but they were there, and a passion was reigning in his gut, one that ruled over the rest of his emotions. These guys deserved to rot in hell.

"Sir," Jack called out, calling Dan's attention back to the enemy rather than the man who could only look at the floor pathetically, as though he wouldn't let himself have anything else. "Please put your weapon down, and nobody will get hurt."

"Don listen to this jackass, Trevor," the man who had punched Phil shouted aggressively. "Put these bitches in their place."

"Why haven't they shot yet?" Dan whispered as he tried to hold himself; holding himself together and making himself smaller.

Then came the voice, the one Dan would recognize from anywhere. "Hold it," it said. He hated it, he wanted it gone, what the hell was he doing here anyway?

'Mark,' Dan thought to himself. 'No fucking way.'

"I will ask one more time politely," Jack stated, holding his own gun in front of himself in a firm hand. "Put your weapons down."

The man named Trevor stepped closer to Jack. "And what the hell would be in that for me, darlin'?" He laughed, stepping around Phil's beaten body. Dan began to tremor in fear. "I go to jail for life? Maybe get a few visits from mummy every Sunday?"

Trevor stopped, only a few feet in front of Hazel. "Perhaps you'll let me get a little," he licked his lips, in a way that disturbed Dan, in a way that he could see Jack was struggling to hold his composure, "taste, of the little lady."

Dan looked to Hazel. She had a few stray tears running down her cheeks, but her face was as hard as stone.

"If you don't-" Jack started.

Mark stopped him with a finger. "Everyone, be quiet." He glanced around at everyone, making sure to make glaring eye contact with each person. Dan felt like he would be physically sick when Mark's eyes landed on him. They were so close to escape, but now Dan was falling back.

"And hello, Daniel." His voice was a purr and a growl, something inviting yet intimidating. Dan's tears kept falling, his head strained as he locked his jaw and forced himself to look at his old 'partner'. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

His heart pounding, Dan took shallow breaths, failing at relaxing himself. He wasn't supposed to be there, he could die. Phil could die. At any second, any one of them could be in the obituaries of the newspaper the next day. The amazing top story of violence. Finally he nodded, simply so that everyone wasn't depending on him to break the silence that they would otherwise suffocate in.

"Don't go near him," Hazel said, putting herself between Mark and Dan. "Just stay where you are."

"Oh you pretty, pretty dear." He gave the most condescending look to her, stroking her face very lightly. "I'm not interested."

Hazel trembled, her gun shaking in her fists.

"Stop messing around," Jack snapped at him, looking between the men. "This is business that needs to be ended-"

"Indeed," the last man, the quiet one, grinned. "And maybe we can start with you?"

Dan was suddenly overwhelmed by senses. He could smell blood, sweat-coated bodies. A blur of movement was all he had seen, and now everything was blurry. Ringing, all around, there was ringing in his ears.

He stumbled back and finally everything stood still for a moment. A glance up showed Hazel, now actually crying, her gun down between her legs and her shoulders shaking. Jack standing up, half covered in an unconscious body. He stood and walked to Hazel, slowly standing her up and taking the gun from between her fingers. She just kept staring, only reaching her hand out for Jack. He took it.

Dan jumped as arms suddenly wrapped around him, and for a moment he was worried it was a criminal. But they were gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heyy! oh my goodness, i am the worst, im so sorry. this isn't cancelled, don't worry, and im not going to try to make excuses. to be fair, i've been very busy with school and tried to have a relaxing break, and there's been other obligations such as appointments and my health lmao. anyways, i hope you enjoyed! leave me a comment/kudos maybe!


	18. Chapter 18

Through the sweat, blood, and grime, he could still recognize the scent of Phil, the one he considered to be comfort. Warm and kind of fruity. Phil. After a few moments of shock, Dan managed to wrap his arms around Phil, who had practically slammed into him. He clung to Phil, breathing in what he could of his scent.

Phil was wobbly, his legs shaking, but his arms holding on to Dan like he was the last thing keeping him standing-which he could have been.

"Hey," Dan murmured next to his ear.

"Hey," Phil said back. He had his head nuzzled into the crook of Dan's neck. "You saved me, didn't you?"

Dan held on tight, holding onto the back of Phil's jacket. He was finally with him again, breathing, existing and warm right in front of Dan. Battered, but alive. That's all that Dan could focus on for the moment.

"I'm glad you're alive," Dan mumbled into the front of his jacket. His tears were now on Phil's shirt, a very familiar sensation, and so even though he was overwhelmed and scared and relieved, Dan was finally able to take deep breaths.

Phil chuckled, his breath very hot on Dan's neck. "Hey, me too. It's really noticeable because of the fucking pain."

Dan gasped and pulled away, afraid he was constricting Phil and preventing him from being okay-to which Phil nearly crumbled to the floor. However, Dan caught him and supported his back. "Oh my god Phil! Am I hurting you? I'm sorry, I really am, I just missed-"

"No," Phil answered and steadied himself on Dan's arm, rubbing his back. He trailed his fingers up to Dan's hair, exploring the curly locks as though they were some valuable he'd never had the chance to touch, and kissed Dan's forehead, then looked him in the eyes. "You hurt me worse by almost letting me fall. I haven't really walked in a bit."

Dan pulled him back into a tight hug, feeling Phil chuckle heartily against him. "Sorry." They were safe now.

"Hey," Phil pulled himself back a little bit and lifted Dan's chin. "It's okay, it's gonna be okay now Dan."

"Don't comfort me," Dan scolded jokingly, wiping his tears on his sleeve. Then, just as suddenly, his breathing hitched. "A-are we still going to be around each other, do you think, Phil?"

The smile that spread across Phil's face soothed everything, and he also nodded. "Yep."

Dan, now utterly satisfied, snuggled back into the embrace once more. "I wanna go home now."

"Me too," Phil said, astounded, kissing Dan's head many times, just because it was right near his lips.

"You guys wanna go?" Jack asked, pulling Hazel along with him carefully.

"Ah, yeah," Dan left the hug again, and kept his arm across Phil's back to help him walk.

"We've called in the authorities to come take these guys, so now our only job is to get the hell out," Jack said, patting Phil's arm and kissing his head in relief. "Welcome back, buddy."

Hazel smiled at him, seemingly calm enough to approach him. "I hope you're okay, babe, and let me know if you're not." She nodded, looking up into his eyes, and waiting till he smiled back.

"I love you guys a lot," Phil said, smiling at them.

The entire group walked downstairs, Dan insisting on helping Phil. He could tell there was some sort of injury on one of Phil's legs, as he limped slightly even with help, and started to fall on the steeper steps. Dan kept a secure grip on him, guiding him out to the van with the sweetest assurances he could muster up to encourage him.

In the van, Jack drove this time, Hazel sitting up in the front next to him, everyone else surrounding Dan and Phil. They sat against the wall in the back, the others sitting against the opposite side. The whole time, Phil never let go of Dan's arm.

"I missed you." Dan looked over at Phil, his eyes finally clear. "I really fucking missed you."

"I missed you too." Phil leaned down and tenderly kissed his cheek. Dan's eyes fluttered shut for the second, relishing the warmth and softness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here i am, once again. (thank you all for getting this to 100 kudos! you're all amazing.)


	19. Chapter 19

Though Phil was back to safety, back to 'normal', it was hard for him to get any of the downtime he deserved for a couple of weeks. He had to file a report and relive the few days that he was gone. Of course this was difficult for him, but he knew that it would help if they had the most accurate of details they could to prevent this gang from being a problem to the public. _What the hell was their motive?_  The men were still alive and being treated for wounds. But they had a brutal trial coming up.

Phil, of course, had been hospitalized for a few days before he had to worry about filing a report, and he was in a much more stable condition. All he wanted to do was go home and sleep. Once he had his 'rest' in the hospital, he was thrown back into organizing things at work. Technically, they were giving him some time off to recuperate, but he was still practically 'working.'

He was busy day and night. And due to this, he had no time for any personal matters. Luckily his family had come to visit while he was in the hospital, but he still hadn't any time to talk to Dan about that night before he went missing. Phil knew he was busy finalizing things since the gang was taken care of. And the agency wasn't responsible for him anymore. There was still paperwork left for him to do, and he was to receive some money from them.

One day, as Phil was resting in the break room at work, Jack and Hazel came in to talk with him.

"Hey sweetie," Hazel started and sat across from him. "What's going on in that head of yours?"

"Not too much, it just hurts," Phil chuckled silently, exhaling through his nose. "How about you? Are you two doing well?"

Jack nodded, pressing his lips together and smiling at Hazel. "Yeah, we're doing really well. We just had something that we wanted to ask."

"Oh, sure," Phil nodded and took a sip of his water. He looked between them.

Hazel grinned and looked at Jack to speak again. "I was wondering if you wanted to be one of the grooms at our wedding." He took Hazel's hand and propped it up on his lap.

Phil looked between the two of them, a large smile spreading across his face. "You two are getting married? Seriously? This better not be a dumb prank," he laughed happily and stood up.

"Nope, we're serious," Hazel held her hand out, an elegant ring perched on her finger.

"Oh my god," Phil got up to hug Hazel tightly. "Congratulations guys, finally!" He moved over to embrace Jack. "Of course I'll be a groom, I'd be honored."

Jack smiled, patting Phil on the back playfully. "We don't have the date settled yet, obviously, but we'll let you know as soon as we do."

Hazel couldn't seem to wipe a smile off her face, and she kept looking at the ring. "Well Phil, we're heading home right about now," she said, squeezing his shoulder. "And you should too. It's finally time for you to rest, babe."

"I will, no worries." Phil grinned. "I'm super happy for you two, congrats."

He smiled with them and said goodbyes as they grabbed their coats, and soon he stood up to get his own. Once he had the down time, he walked around the complex to calm down. As he was walking, he spotted a very familiar face in the main office, that had nearly turned into a stranger's. He walked in and stood next to him, slightly behind him.

"Dan!" Phil said quietly but happily, taking a hold of his shoulder.

Out of the corner of his eye, Dan had been peering at Phil, but now he finally turned around. "Phil! Oh god, it feels like it's been ages since I've seen you." He wrapped his arms around Phil's shoulders, squeezing him tightly for a moment. "Do you feel better? I haven't seen you since the hospital and-"

Phil nodded, grinning. "Yes, I feel better, and I'm really happy that you're okay now." He let his hand drop down near Dan's. "I was wondering if you'd wanna go talk at Starbucks."

"Yeah, of course! Hang on, I just have one more thing to sign here," he said and pulled a paper in front of him closer, signing a sloppy signature on a line at the bottom. "Here you go!" He handed it to the secretary and left with Phil.

They mostly listened to music on the way, stealing glances at each other along the way. Dan took hold of Phil's hand while he was driving and kissed it. "I'm so glad we get to do this even though you almost died. What a cute first date."

Phil rolled his eyes though his cheeks flushed. "Sure, it's a very cute date."

Once they arrived at Starbucks, they both exited the car. Dan leaned against Phil without running into him, almost seeming to hold on to him.

"Small blonde roast, please. Two creams, two sugar, and a shot of espresso, please."

"Large caramel macchiato."

The two found a cozy table to sit at, able to look out the window during the near sunset.

"So Dan, I've really been thinking," Phil started after a few sips of his drink. "I've been thinking about that night we had, you know, when we went to the bar. You were a real goddamn _flirt_."

Dan blushed brightly and giggled. "Yeah, but you were going along with it pretty well, and I was pretty drunk."

Phil pressed his lips together. "It was really nice, like, I really liked it," he said. "And I've been wondering for a while if you felt the same way about it-me, or if it was more of a drunk mistake sort of thing, resulting from your lovely flirting techniques."

The model shook his head and took Phil's hand from across the table. "No, dude-Phil, I've been crushing on you for the longest time. Did you really not notice?" He chuckled and played with Phil's fingers, looking up to his eyes. "I mean it took a bit to come to terms with, but you're like really dreamy, or dare I say, 'hunky.' And I think you're really thoughtful and funny and I think there's a reason that I wanted to be friends with you, even when you could have potentially gotten me killed."

Phil sighed happily. "I dunno, I guess I just thought maybe the flirting was just your personality." He looked down at their joined hands and smiled. Dan followed his eyes and then looked back up at his face.

"That's one reason why it was so hard when you were gone," Dan sighed and squeezed his hand tightly. "First of all I was terrified for your life, second, I couldn't sleep without you around, and third, I was scared that you would think I only did that because I was drunk. To be fair, I want another chance sober."

Phil, who had been sipping a large portion of his drink, looked him in the eye and smiled. "Well you have all the time in the world now, Howell, so whenever you want that chance let me know."

Dan dropped his jaw a bit, then pressed his lips together. "How about now?"

"Yeah, just let me run to the bathroom first."

Dan rolled his eyes and waited for Phil. He smirked to himself and walked outside when Phil joined him.

Phil drove them back to his apartment. He tried to hide a smile in anticipation, though he was feeling absolutely stoked. When they arrived, he got out and pulled Dan in with him. Once through the door, Phil led him to the couch and pulled him close.

"You want this too, right?" Dan asked quietly, pulling back from Phil slightly. He sat partially on Phil, gracefully kneeling on the couch. "It's not just me?"

"No Dan," he said, leading him closer to himself. "I really want this. I really fucking want this."

Dan took no more time hesitating, leaning into Phil now for a kiss. Just like the first time, it felt utterly right, and he let out a soft moan against his lips. Phil kissed down Dan's jaw, placing chaste kisses along his neck. After receiving a loud whine and his hair being pulled, he settled on one spot, sucking and biting it to earn the sweet noises from Dan.

"You sound so pretty, Dan," Phil said quietly against his neck, kissing the mark he made, which caused Dan to become a mess on his lap. He rocked his hips against Phil's, holding a fist in his hair.

"Ph-Phil," he murmured near Phil's ear. "Bedroom?" He smirked a little, dragging his hips against Phil's thigh as he earned a moan from him.

Phil moved away from Dan's neck to and looked at him from eye to eye, a smug smile coming to his lips. "As you wish." He picked Dan up and carried him to his room, an excited giggle escaping Dan's lips.

 

"Phil?" Dan mumbled later, his head resting next to Phil's.

Phil turned to face him, though he kept his eyes closed lazily. "Mhm?"

"I have a question," he started, looking into Phil's eyes as he opened them.

"Alright, you okay? Go ahead," the other nodded. He kept one eye peeked open to look at Dan.

Dan smiled a bit and took in a breath. "Would you maybe want to come meet my parents with me next month?" he asked, running a finger along Phil's chest. "I know it's like really nerve-wracking and all, but I'd be really happy if you did. I totally understand if you can't make it though."

With both eyes fully opened now, Phil smiled. "Really? Oh god, uh-wow, first off thanks for even asking, Dan," he said, clearing his throat. "Are they cool with you being with men? Cause I don't want to make anything uncomfortable."

"Oh no silly, they're fine," Dan chuckled. "And besides, it would happen eventually anyways, so don't you worry about good old family time. You'd be alright."

"Okay," Phil relaxed back into his pillow again. "Well-yeah, I'm pretty sure I'd be free, that'd be great!"

Dan beamed, hugged Phil closer, and rested his head against his chest. Phil played with his hair gently. He felt Dan soon grow heavier against his side and eventually relaxed himself to sleep as well.

 

Louise came to Dan's apartment to help him pack. Though it was left untouched since Dan's last stay, there was a certain aura about it and he didn't want to stay there. They had found another apartment for him soon after Phil was found. And it was finally the day for Dan to move out. Louise knocked, covering her eyes with her hand.

"No funny business, right?" She called out and peeked through two of her fingers. "Cause I love you but I don't need to see that side of you, Daniel James."

Dan opened the door quickly after with a roll of his eyes. "No, _ma'am_ , Phil's not even here." He shook his head with a grin. "Sadly, he couldn't make it, he had to go to work."

"See Dan, you just can't trust men with these things," she said with fake disappointment, pulling her new boyfriend in with her. "Speaking of, this is Luke. Luke, this is my best friend Dan."

Dan grinned and stuck his hand out. "Nice to meet you Luke, it's a pleasure."

Luke took his hand with a strong grip. "It's alright Dan, it's so nice to meet you too. Louise has told me much about you."

The former shook his head, reaching down to grab a box to move. "Of course, she's gone on about you too. Said you had really pretty green eyes, and that your hair was softer than a feather, and-"

"Quiet son," Louise said, widening her eyes at him. Then she turned to Luke with a smile. "I do talk about you a lot though."

Luke chuckled and kissed her forehead. "Good things, I hope. Trash talk only comes to me-in the form of a rap battle."

Dan raised his eyebrows and chuckled, moving past them to take his box out to the moving van. ' _What a pair_.'

 

Later in the evening, Dan had half of his stuff out of boxes and strewn across floors, not totally sure of how to deal with it all. Due to this, he was thankful for the dinner he had planned with his friends. And for a while he sorted through his kitchen appliances, until that grew boring even with music on and his alarm went off to go get ready. _Finally_.

The first thing Dan had done when he got to his new apartment was sort through his clothes. He made sure that they got into drawers or hung up on his clothes rack. Because of this, he had no worries about wrinkled clothes as we went about choosing his wardrobe. A snug button up, nice black pants, and dress shoes.

Dan approached his new mirror-god, he hated the thing, he was getting a new one as soon as possible-and made sure he looked nice. After tugging on his shirt to make sure it fitted properly and straightened everything out, he sighed happily. For the first time in a while, and it had been a surprisingly long while, he enjoyed how he looked in the mirror. And so it was time to join his friends.

Outside, Dan caught a taxi to take him to the restaurant. He was excited to see all of the people he hadn't seen in a while to catch up-a relaxing, fun night with everyone was needed after such a stressful time in many people's lives. After a few minutes of thinking Dan was at the restaurant, getting out, and joining everybody.

Not everyone was quite there yet. Quite the group of people had arrived already, however; Hazel was excitedly speaking with Dodie about something including theatrics, and Jack and Dean were laughing right next to them. Dan's friend-or rather, the man he remembered bonding with when he visited the bar that night from a while ago, Pj-was sitting next to Dodie, seemingly waiting for someone.

And finally there was Phil, dressed up in a suit, his hair slicked back. Dan smiled foolishly to himself, and went to join the handsome lad.

"Hey, did I ever tell you that your hair looks sexy pushed back?" he said, immediately plopping down next to Phil, startling the man.

"In fact, you did," Phil turned to him with wide eyes, eventually relaxing into a smile. "But now it feels even better." He leaned over and pressed his lips against Dan's cheek, causing him to go red in front of the man Phil was speaking to. "Ah, Tom, this is my boyfriend Dan, Dan this is my friend Tom."

Dan took a look at Tom. He had bright eyes and a brighter smile, and glasses. And a beard. He stuck out his hand to shake. "Hi Dan, Phil only just shut up about you, but I've heard mostly good things." He chuckled at the look Dan gave Phil. "It's a pleasure."

"Nice to meet you," Dan grinned and shook his hand.

Soon, the other man Dan had met at the bar, Chris, joined the crew of people, followed by a dramatic entrance by Louise. And so finally waiters came to take their food orders. Dan, Phil, and Tom all learned about each other through a conversation about creative influences. In the middle of their very in-depth conversation, Jack wanted their attention.

"It is with pleasure that I get to announce," he said, letting them all sit with anticipation for a moment, "that I am marrying the love of my life, Hazel!"

The table erupted with cheers. Dodie hugged Hazel tightly, practically screaming in her ear excitedly, while Jack and Dean did the same. Louise started whooping.

"And Dean, would you be my best man?"

Dean slapped a hand to his heart. "Yeah, mate, that job belongs to me."

Jack grinned, still standing. Hazel took his hand and kissed his knuckles, then stood with him.

"We'd also like to propose a toast to our good friend, Phil Lester, for his bravery as of late, and for his new promotion at work!" She started clapping, joined by everyone else quickly.

"I got a promotion?"

"Good job, man!"

"That's amazing, you guys!"

The pair sat down, congratulations being passed around the table.

"Could I propose a toast to you?" Dan heard in his ear a moment later. He turned to Phil, raising his eyebrow.

"What for?" he asked, looking quizzically at Phil's face.

Phil took Dan's hand, lacing their fingers together. "For being the person to finally make me happy." He smiled. "The one to make the world seem a little bit more delightful and the reason I can really sleep at night." Phil lifted his glass. "To you, Dan."

Dan grinned and leaned in to embrace him. He wrapped his arms around Phil tightly. "That's the first time I ever received a toast," he whispered. "Thank you."

"You deserve one every day," Phil said and kissed his shoulder affectionately. "Now come on, food's ready."

Dan pulled away after embarrassing Phil with a dramatic kiss on the cheek. The two of them, and everyone else, enjoyed their meals and made the best of each other's presence. Soon jokes and stories were being passed around. The friends were all happy and giggly and slightly tipsy, but most importantly, they were having a lovely time.

And after all the trouble Dan and Phil went through, together and separately, both found happiness in each other and a little group of friends that felt like home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's actually the end, after nearly a year? or over a year, was it? wow. this is the first time i've ever properly finished a story in my entire online career with writing terrible fanfictions. this was a ride, i nearly gave up on it once or twice, but sticking with it has been very much rewarding. i'll probably be going through soon to fix spelling and grammar errors but i'm very very proud of this and its accomplishments. i hope you are too. i'm going to try to be more active with writing, as i finally have a laptop! so it's far easier to write consistently! well, anyways, thank you so much to everyone who has been reading this and who will, i'm very appreciative of each and every comment i've received-they've made my day. and hitting 100 kudos recently was awesome, so thank you to everyone who chose to give this story a chance. i will try to post new stories and stuff so maybe subscribe if you're interested!! im very excited to post the oneshot i've been writing for a while now!!! check out other works! again thank you all for reading :)

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I am not a model, nor do I know anything about special agencies, so I'm sorry if any of this is inaccurate.  
> I hope you enjoy, please comment!  
> 


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